BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaSenegal: Clashes spread over election postponementPublished33 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, Parts of Dakar looked like a war zone on FridayViolent protests in Senegal against the postponement of presidential elections have spread across the country, with the first fatality reported.A student died in clashes with police on Friday in the northern city of Saint-Louis, an opposition leader and a local hospital source said.In the capital Dakar, security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds.The 25 February elections were last week delayed by MPs until 15 December.President Macky Sall had earlier called off the polls indefinitely, arguing this was needed to resolve a dispute over the eligibility of presidential candidates. Lawmakers later extended Mr Sall’s mandate by 10 months.Opponents of the move have warned that Senegal’s reputation as a bastion of democracy in an unstable region of West Africa is on the line.Opposition leader Khalifa Sall, who is not related to the president, earlier called the election delay a “constitutional coup”.The death of the student in Saint-Louis was reported by Khalifa Sall in a post on social media. “The hearts of all democrats bleed at this outburst of clashes provoked by the unjustified halting of the electoral process,” he said.The death was confirmed by a local hospital source speaking on condition of anonymity, and by an official at the university the student attended, according to the AFP news agency.The Senegalese authorities have not publicly commented on the issue.Ecowas in crisis: Why West Africa’s united front is in tattersThe country’s mass protests erupted last weekend. On Friday, demonstrators in Dakar fought running battles with security forces, throwing stones and burning tyres. President Sall has said he is not planning to run for office again – but his critics accuse him of either trying to cling on to power or unfairly influencing whoever succeeds him. Twenty candidates had made the final list to contest the elections, but several more were excluded by the Constitutional Council, the judicial body that determines whether candidates have met the conditions required to run. West Africa’s regional bloc Ecowas on Tuesday pleaded for Senegal’s political class to “take steps urgently to restore the electoral calendar” in line with the constitution.Senegal has long been seen as one of the most stable democracies in West Africa. It is the only country in mainland West Africa that has never had a military coup. It has had three largely peaceful handovers of power and never delayed a presidential election.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, ‘We deserve freedom’: Delayed election sparks protests, arrests in SenegalRelated TopicsSenegalMore on this storyWhy West Africa’s united front is in tattersPublished2 hours agoSenegal on the brink after elections postponedPublished3 days agoElection delay sparks protests, arrests in Senegal. Video, 00:01:09Election delay sparks protests, arrests in SenegalPublished4 days ago1:09Is Senegal’s democracy under threat?Published3 days agoAround the BBCFocus on Africa podcastTop StoriesClapham attack: Police to search Thames for suspect’s bodyPublished2 hours agoIsraeli soldier videos from Gaza could breach international law, experts sayPublished9 hours agoEx-Fujitsu boss ‘shocked’ by Post Office’s actionsPublished5 hours agoFeaturesDinosaur Island: 40 years of discoveries on SkyeThe Papers: Gaza bloodbath fears and King bonds with FergieIs Iceland entering a new volcanic era?Celebrities and the perils of oversharing daily routinesCash-strapped clubbers make their nights out countHave we lost faith in tech?Swift, swimming and snow: Photos of the weekAn ‘impossible’ country tests its hard-won democracyWeekly quiz: Who beat Miley to win Song Of The Year?Elsewhere on the BBCIt’s make or break timeAnother set of eager entrepreneurs hope to impress the fearsome panelAttributioniPlayerHow are jelly beans made?Gregg Wallace visits a Dublin factory that makes over ten million of the sweets per day!AttributioniPlayerIs this the greatest Jurassic predator that ever lived?Sir David Attenborough investigates a unique discovery: the skull of a giant, prehistoric sea monsterAttributioniPlayerThe sound effect that became the ultimate movie in-jokeIt’s used in everything from Toy Story to Reservoir Dogs, but what is the Wilhelm Scream?AttributioniPlayerMost Read1Man’s indefinite sentence a ‘serious injustice’2Celebrities and the perils of oversharing daily routines3Ex-Fujitsu boss ‘shocked’ by Post Office’s actions4Tory donors and 27-year-old among new peers5Mum found under coat in A&E died days later6Gaza bloodbath fears and King bonds with Fergie7Police to search Thames for Clapham attack suspect8Israeli soldier videos from Gaza could breach international law, experts say9Cash-strapped clubbers make their nights out count10Is Iceland entering a new volcanic era?

• newsinsightplus.com
Blog
• February 10, 2024
• 0 Comments