Senegal: Skirmishes In Dakar As Head Of African Observers Arrives
By MISNA
Skirmishes between security forces and opposition protesters occurred yesterday in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, where about a thousand protesters, including three candidates for president on February 26, unsuccessfully tried to challenge the security cordon that prevented access to the central Independence Square.
Youssou N’Dour, the internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter whose nomination was rejected, was slightly wounded in the leg during the violence that erupted between youth and police.
A few days before Sunday’s presidential elections, the protest against the candidacy of incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade for a third consecutive term, deemed unconstitutional by the opposition, shows no sign of decreasing.
While the street protests aimed for Wade, yesterday evening, the former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo arrived to serve as an observer of the Economic Community of West African countries (ECOWAS / ECOWAS) and African Union (AU).
“I’m here for a mission of observation, not mediation. However – said the African leader – I cannot rule this out, given the situation. That said, I’d like to meet all the candidates. “
