Politics

Senegal: ECOWAS court rejects Sonko’s rights abuse claim

Published

3 weeks ago

November 18, 2023

A court of the West African political bloc, ECOWAS, has rejected opposition politician, Ousmane Sonko’s claim that the state had treated him unfairly.

The Senegalese government has been in a legal battle with the jailed opposition politician who had filed a case claiming the state violated his human rights.

One of Sonko’s lawyers Ciré Clédor Ly remarked after the hearing that “the court ruled that none of Ousmane Sonko’s rights had been violated and dismissed his requests.”

Earlier this month, a tribunal in Ziguinchor, a city in the south, ordered the electoral commission to put Sonko back on the voter list as remains a presidential hopeful. Senegal’s Supreme Court is expected to rule on this later on Friday.

His various legal troubles have triggered violent demonstrations as his followers, who have held protests throughout the year that have sometimes led to deadly clashes with police, accuse President Macky Sall of trying to disqualify Sonko from next year’s presidential election.

He was taken into custody for insurrection in July, while his party was also dissolved by the government.

His supporters say the charges are politically motivated and are part of President Macky Sall’s serial targeting of political opponents, which Sall denies. Sonko has gone on hunger strikes in protest and has been admitted to hospital on occasion.

Sonko finished third with 687,523 votes in the last presidential election and remains a top contender for the 2024 race but his many legal troubles are likely hindrances. Following his conviction, he had threatened to disrupt the elections if he was disqualified.

Related Topics:ECOWAS Featured Ousmane Sonko Senegal

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Politics

Seychelles declares emergency following explosion, flooding

Published

1 day ago

December 7, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Officials in the Seychelles have confirmed that a blast at an explosives store wrecked buildings and caused massive damage to an industrial zone.

The explosion has prompted the president, Wavel Ramkalawan, to declare a state of emergency on Thursday.

The president called for a minute of silence on Thursday after telling reporters that the blast rocked the island and caused flooding due to heavy rains. Three people died as a result.

National television footage showed streets strewn with uprooted trees buried in deep mud and covered in debris.

“Following an explosion at the CCCL explosives store that has caused massive damage to the Providence Industrial area and the surrounding areas and major destruction caused by flooding due to heavy rains, the President has declared a state of emergency for today, December 7th,” President Wavel Ramkalawan’s office said in a statement.

“Everyone is being asked to stay at home. All schools will be closed. Only workers in the essential services and persons travelling will be allowed free movement.”

Tourists can still use the international airport and the ferries that travel between the islands, according to the government’s official social media.

Comprising 115 islands, the Seychelles is the least populous country in Africa, home to only 100,000 people.

Politics

Mauritania: Ex-president Abdel Aziz jailed for 5 years

Published

3 days ago

December 5, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

A former president of Mauritania , Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, has been found guilty, and sentenced frollowokg a trial.

He was arraigned on money laundering and “illicit enrichment” charges.

Abdel Aziz was on Tuesday sentenced to five years in prison for the offences which were said to have been committed during his decade-long reign as the leader of the West African country. He was found guilty of two of the ten charges against him by the court late on Monday, after it looked into claims of corruption and misappropriation of public funds.

However, some of Abdel Aziz’s associates who had also been on trial, including two former prime ministers, were acquitted.

The decision was described as “a political verdict targeting a man and his family” by one of his solicitors, but his conviction, according to the prosecution, was historic.

Although Abdel Aziz was succeeded in 2019 by a political ally, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who remains president, his government however quickly came under scrutiny over actions, including deals on offshore oil projects.

Abdel Aziz’s conviction is the biggest against high profile public servants in the country. The former military leader has the option of appealing his sentence at the Supreme Court.

According to Transparency International, Mauritania scored 30 points out of 100 on the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index. The country averaged 28.00 points from 2006 until 2022, reaching an all-time high of 31.00 Points in 2006, having hit a record low of 23.00 Points in 2010.