The tension has gone up a notch in Senegal.
On Wednesday, protests erupted in the country after the arrest of opponent Ousmane Sonko.
They continued Thursday into the night and left one dead.
"There is a deceased among the demonstrators in Bignona", in Casamance (South), indicated a commander of the gendarmerie.
The demonstrations "gave rise to regrettable acts of vandalism and violence, having unfortunately led to the death of a man in the person of Sheikh Ibrahima Coly", confirmed the government, by "strongly condemning the acts of violence, looting and destruction ”, while the West African country is renowned for its stability.
We demand an independent investigation to shed light on the circumstances of the death of young Cheikh Coly, 20, during a demonstration in Bignona.
Defense and security forces must exercise maximum restraint in the face of unarmed demonstrators.
- Seydi Gassama (@SeydiGassama) March 4, 2021
"We demand an independent investigation to shed light on the circumstances of the death of young Cheikh Coly, 20" in Bignona, had previously tweeted the director of Amnesty International Senegal, Seydi Gassama.
A second death, that of a teenager according to social media, was reported by a local elected official in Yeumbeul, on the outskirts of Dakar, but has not been officially confirmed.
Channels cut and media attacked
Clashes have been reported in other cities, including Casamance, where Ousmane Sonko, third in the 2019 presidential election and expected to be one of the main candidates for that of 2024, enjoys strong support.
In Dakar, the media and social networks reported the looting of stores.
Dozens of students clashed at the end of the afternoon with the police on the campus of Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar by throwing pieces of concrete blocks at them, according to AFP journalists.
In the evening, the National Audiovisual Regulatory Council (CNRA) announced to suspend for 72 hours the signal of two private televisions, Sen TV and Walf TV, to which it criticized the broadcasting "in loop of images of violence" .
The government "warns against the biased coverage of events by certain media, likely to fuel hatred and violence," he also said in his statement.
🛑 The wave of arbitrary arrests of opponents and activists in Senegal seriously undermines human rights.
🛑 Use of lethal weapon in the south of the country
🛑 Suspension of signals from certain media channels.
https://t.co/2gKY7CnyyB
- Amnesty West & Central Africa (@AmnestyWARO) March 5, 2021
In parallel, Thursday evening, the media offices deemed close to the government were targeted by angry protesters.
“We were attacked with Molotov cocktails and large stones.
The attackers were numerous.
They smashed vehicles and windows.
We used fire extinguishers.
The attack lasted at least a quarter of an hour, ”said Daouda Mané, editorial director of the government daily Le Soleil.
A journalist from RFM radio, belonging to the singer's private press group and former minister Youssou Ndour, reported "significant damage", including "at least one burnt car", around his editorial staff.
This Friday promises to be tense
Ousmane Sonko, 46, was taken into police custody on Wednesday, officially for the disturbances to public order he allegedly caused by going, in procession, to the court where he was summoned to be heard on charges of rape and death threats against him.
They were left by an employee of a beauty salon where he was going to get a massage to, he said, relieve his back pain.
Personality with an anti-system profile and impetuous speech, the deputy refutes these accusations, unveiled in early February in the press.
He shouts at the plot hatched by President Macky Sall to remove him from the next presidential election.
The president denied.
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During his custody, the deputy remained silent to “protest against the violations” of his rights, according to one of his lawyers, Cheikh Khouraissy Ba.
The Minister of the Interior, Antoine Félix Abdoulaye Diome, justified the arrest of Ousmane Sonko by the ban on gatherings linked to Covid-19 and by a traffic plan put in place by the authorities.
Ousmane Sonko's lawyers said for their part that the deputy was again expected in court this Friday.
"He will be taken to the examining magistrate tomorrow by will or by force," said one of them, Abdoulaye Tall.
This risks raising the tension even further.
Other events are also expected this Friday.
The Senegalese presidency and the official buildings in central Dakar have also been placed under high protection.