Ousmane Sonko: A political and legal saga that continues
For several years, the Senegalese political opponent Ousmane Sonko has been at the center of a political and legal saga that continues to capture the attention of the Senegalese population. From his summons for alleged rape in February 2021 until his conviction on appeal for defamation and public insult in May 2023, his career is punctuated by twists and turns and controversies.
On February 8, 2021, Ousmane Sonko was summoned to the gendarmerie to answer charges of repeated rape with threats. Denouncing a plot and claiming to be the victim of a plot hatched by President Macky Sall, the opponent refuses to respond to this summons, invoking his parliamentary immunity. However, this immunity was finally lifted by the National Assembly, thus allowing the opening of a judicial inquiry.
On March 3, 2021, as he went to court to respond to the summons of the investigating judge, Ousmane Sonko was arrested and placed in police custody for “disturbing public order”. This arrest provoked violent riots across the country, resulting in several deaths. Finally, the opponent is charged with rape and death threats, but is released on bail and placed under judicial supervision.
Despite these accusations and the controversies surrounding him, Ousmane Sonko continues to pursue his political ambitions. In January 2022, he won the town hall of Ziguinchor in the municipal and departmental elections, thus consolidating his position as leader of the opposition and signifying his ambitions for the presidential election of 2024.
In August 2022, Ousmane Sonko made his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election official. Despite the legal obstacles that stood in his way, he remained determined to run and mobilized his supporters to support his candidacy.
However, in May 2023, Ousmane Sonko suffered another legal setback. He was sentenced on appeal to a six-month suspended prison sentence for defamation and public insult towards another politician. This conviction calls into question his eligibility for the 2024 presidential election, but the opponent refuses to be defeated and calls for the mobilization of his supporters.
The political and judicial saga of Ousmane Sonko therefore continues to arouse the interest and questioning of the Senegalese population