Members of the Democratic legislative black caucus of the Wisconsin state assembly in the United States, has called on President Macky Sall of Senegal to respect the constitution and rescind his bid for a third term in 2024 in the country’s presidential election.
By Buya Jammeh
Representative Moore Omokunde, who was speaking at a Juneteenth event in Madison meant to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States, condemned the human rights violations blamed on President Sall’s regime in the wake of bloody opposition demonstrations which led to riotous scenes in Dakar and other parts of Africa’s westermost nation in the first week of June.
Multiple deaths were reported as security forces clamped down on the protests which were sparked by the conviction of opposition leader Ousman Sonko following rape charges on him.
Senegal was regarded as one of Africa’s most stable democracies.
“Members of the black legislative caucus oppose the use of fire by the Senegalese security forces against demonstrators,” Moore stated.
According to him, aside from 16 people killed, and 350 wounded, the government in Dakar also restricts the freedom of information, cutting internet access and taking a private TV channel off the air over their coverage of the demonstrations.
He called on the Senegalese leaders to condemn the heavy-handedness of the security forces who fired live rounds on demonstrators and urged President Sall to lift internet access restrictions on the Senegalese people and restore Walfajiri TV on the airwaves.
Representative Omokunde added: “Our caucus believes we must never silence our youth and the people’s will for a better future.”
Samba Baldeh, a Gambian-born state representative for Wisconsin’s assembly district 48 who also echoed the same sentiments, stressed the need for action on the injustices happening around the world.
Baldeh cited human rights violations in Senegal, Mali, and Sudan as the most egregious examples.
He blamed Western countries as partly responsible for the instability in the African continent and suggested that they must be held accountable.
He urged US citizens to reach out to public officials and enjoined them to be honest about the situation in Africa and the rest of the world.
“Sudan is a prime example where they are fighting simply because of Western interest in their country; that must stop, and the only way it can be stopped is to hold us public officials accountable,” he argued.
Representative Baldeh said the peace Americans enjoys was also needed around the world.
BJ/as/APA