Senegal’s interior ministry has dissolved the political party of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko for rallying supporters into stoking unrest during violent protests last month, as demonstrators clashed with police in the capital Dakar.
According to a decree signed by Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome, the government accused the party leaders of “frequently calling on its supporters to insurrectional movements, which has led to serious consequences, including loss of life, many wounded, as well as acts of looting of public and private property”.
“The latest are the serious disturbances to public order recorded during the first week of June 2023, after those of March 2021,” the decree said.
The dissolution of the Patriots of Senegal (PASTEF) party was the latest move in a long-running tussle between President Macky Sall’s ruling party and Sonko’s PASTEF, whose supporters say that Sall has used trumped-up charges to sideline his popular opponent ahead of an election in February.
There was no immediate comment from PASTEF.
Demonstrators took to the streets of Dakar once again on Monday as Sonko was remanded in custody on charges that include plotting an insurrection.
Original from www.aljazeera.com rnrn