A student has unfortunately, been killed in the Senegalese city of Saint-Louis amid the violent protests that held on Friday, against the postponement of the presidential election, according to a report by the interior ministry on Saturday.
Hostilities between security forces and protesters had engulfed Senegal’s capital and other cities on Friday, the first notable unrest over the delay of a vote that many are afraid could lead to prolonged instability.
The ministry had released a statement saying that it had been informed of the death of a student, Alpha Yero Tounkara and that it would be investigated, but the ministry had denied claims that its forces were to be blamed for the incident.
It was not yet persist clear if protests would continue on Saturday. This might be due to the fact that prolonged violent stand-offs with security personnel will add to fears of democratic retreat.
With less than three weeks before the February 25 presidential vote, parliament held a vote to delay the elections until December, guaranteeing an extension of President Macky Sall’s mandate, which has heightened concerns that one of the remaining democracies in coup-hit West Africa is under threat.
Sall, who has reached his constitutional limit of two terms had said that he delayed the vote due to conflict that he allegedly claimed, threatened the plaisibilty of the electoral process. But some of his opposition have condemned the move, tagging it an “institutional coup.”
