By Ebi Kesiena
Amnesty International has called for an independent inquiry into last week’s violence across Senegal, which it said had left 23 dead, higher than the official toll.
This was contained in a statement on Thursday, a day after the government said it had launched inquiries into the unrest, which it said had claimed 16 lives.
The June 1-3 violence was sparked by a two-year sentence on opposition figurehead Ousmane Sonko for “corrupting” a young woman, making him ineligible to contest presidential polls next year.
According to Amnesty figures, around 23 people died, including some by gunfire, have been registered between Dakar and Ziguinchor (in the north), three of those killed were minors, the statement added.
Amnesty said that having examined videos of the violence, it had identified armed men dressed in civilian clothing working alongside the security forces and attacking demonstrators.
Seydi Gassama, Amnesty Senegal’s executive director explained that the footage was evidence of human rights violations.
Sonko has repeatedly insisted his prosecution and eventual conviction was a ploy by the government to keep him from running for the presidency, a claim the government has denied.
However, the Senegalese authorities have banned two opposition marches planned for Friday and Saturday against President Macky Sall, the prefecture told AFP.
