reporting
Article reserved for subscribers
The 2024 presidential candidate left Ziguinchor, where he had been held for a fortnight, to take the road to Dakar. The opportunity to confirm his immense popularity in the south of the country before continuing to the capital where he risks being arrested for rape.
If Ousmane Sonko still had doubts about his level of fame in Casamance, a region in southern Senegal, he can rest easy. His convoy – around fifteen vehicles, 4x4s with his guard and a couple of minibuses full of supporters – set off on the Ziguinchor-Kolda road on Friday and was greeted with great cheers everywhere. And followed by the police from afar. Every time the politician in a fitted white shirt and military cap screwed on his head climbed out of the sunroof of his SUV, explosions of joy erupted. Children in rural areas ran after cars shouting “Sonko President!” The generational fervor as he passed was reminiscent of a Senegal who would have won the Africa Cup of Nations a second time.
The 48-year-old opponent has started the first leg of his “Caravan for Freedom”, which is supposed to take him to Dakar in a few days. An expedition that bodes well for this February 2024 presidential nominee, surrounded by trials and threats of expulsion or even jail time. The judgment of his p