Senegal Indicts Four Over Political Unrest

Senegalese authorities indicted four individuals this week in connection with deadly political unrest that rocked the country between 2021 and 2024, marking the first formal charges linked to the violence.

The indictments respond to brutal crackdowns on opposition demonstrations under former President Macky Sall, during which clashes with the current Speaker of the National Assembly, Ousmane Sonko, left dozens dead and injured.

Senegal’s current government has consistently promised justice for victims, utilising charges of crimes against humanity and torture to legally bypass a sweeping amnesty law that Sall enacted shortly before leaving office.

The prosecution stems from a complaint by victim Pape Abdoulaye Toure, who accused the suspects of unlawful confinement, abduction, torture, and violent assaults in June 2023.

Defence attorneys confirmed that security chief Ameth Tidiane Cisse and security officer Djibril Gaye face charges of criminal conspiracy, crimes against humanity, and torture, with Gaye currently held in custody and Cisse placed under judicial supervision.

Prosecutors also charged two additional associates, Amadou Guindo Traore and Djibril Diaw, with complicity in the alleged crimes against Toure, though defence lawyers forcefully rejected all allegations and asserted their clients’ total innocence.

Human rights organisations and legal representatives welcomed the indictments while calling for comprehensive trials.

Juan Branco, a French attorney representing Toure, characterised the charges as a modest step forward and emphasised the state’s legal obligation to prosecute these crimes.

Seydi Gassama, director of Amnesty International in Senegal, pledged continued support for the victims as judicial proceedings advance.

Investigative tallies show that state repression killed at least 65 people between March 2021 and February 2024, though government officials estimate the total death toll exceeds 80.