Dissident Osman Sonko was forcibly brought back to Dakar

This is the end to supporters’ worriesUsman SonkoAn opponent who went missing for several hours on Sunday, May 28.

Law enforcement officials said Senegalese He abruptly ended his march across the country by arresting him in the south and forcibly bringing him back to Dakar.

Interior Minister Antoine Diome cited clashes between supporters of Ousmane Sonko and police as protesters returned to Dakar by road from Friday.

“There has been a death in Kolta, will the government stand idly by (…) the answer can only be negative,” the minister said on public television.

He argued that Usman Sonko should have applied for prior authorization before organizing what he called the “independence caravan”.

>> Read More: In Senegal, protester Ousmane Sonko and his “freedom caravan” on their way to Dakar

“So we were able to trace (the party’s) Basteff (Mr. Sonko) to his house (in Dakar) where he was dropped off,” he said. A source close to the authorities indicated that Ousmane Sonko was arrested by gendarmes near Koungheul and brought to the capital by them.

The interior minister said weapons were found in the vehicle Ousmane Sonko was traveling in.

No news for hours

The rival, who has been in a two-year conflict with power for the 2024 presidential election, marched back to Dakar in the south of the country on Friday.

Usman Sonko has been documenting his activities live on social networks and did the same for the first two days of his trip, he stopped doing so on Sunday. His party later declared him “untraceable and unreachable”.

Ousmane Sonko’s supporters rallying around him has led to frequent incidents and unrest.

In 2021, he was arrested in Tucker while marching to a judge’s summons in a rape case. His arrest helped spark days of rioting that left at least a dozen dead.

A criminal chamber is expected to deliver its long-awaited verdict against him in the same case on June 1 Rapes assumed. He refused to appear, shouting that there was a conspiracy by the powers that be to remove him from the presidential race. In addition to possible punishment, he may lose his eligibility.

With AFP