Senegal’s interior minister on Monday said it had dissolved the party of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko for rallying supporters into stoking violence during protests last month, prompting more calls for resistance as demonstrators clashed with police.
It was the latest move in a long-running tussle between President Macky Sall’s ruling party and Sonko’s Pastef, whose supporters accuse Sall of trumping up charges to sideline his popular opponent ahead of an election in February.
Sonko denies wrongdoing. It is the first time a party has been banned since Senegal gained independence from France in 1960.
“We are going to attack this decision, the Senegalese people will resist,” a Pastef spokesperson said on local radio.
Pastef came third in the last elections and is one of three main opposition parties.
Demonstrators took to the streets of Dakar once again on Monday as Sonko was remanded in custody by a judge on charges that include plotting an insurrection.
Sonko was detained last week following a scuffle with security forces stationed outside his home in Dakar. It is not clear if Sonko will remain in jail or when a trial will begin.
“He will spend his first night in prison,” said his lawyer, Bamba Cisse.
Fears of more riots prompted the managers of TotalEnergies petrol stations across Senegal to begin a 72-hour strike from Tuesday because of the political and social crisis.
TotalEnergies acknowledged the planned strike in a statement and, saying it would communicate on any ensuing disruptions and seek to minimise impact.
Violent riots erupted across Senegal in June and at least 16 people were killed after Sonko was handed a separate two-year prison sentence for immoral behaviour towards people younger than 21. At the time, he called for protesters to take to the streets.
Petrol stations have often been vandalised in the process, with French and other Western brands appearing particularly targeted.
Protesters blocked the highway into Dakar on Monday with burnt tyres and trucks, snarling traffic even before the judge’s ruling and the interior minister’s statement.
Reuters reporters saw small sporadic groups of protesters clash with police, who fired tear gas. A train service linking Dakar with nearby Diamniadio was suspended.
The government restricted internet access due to the spread of “hateful and subversive messages” on social media.
