He is one of the main faces of the opposition. The voice of those seeking renewal at Senegal’s leadership has been led by Macky Sall since 2012. At the age of 48, Ousmane Sonko, who wears a suit and tie as well as sneakers and a cap, appeared to some as a herald of the fight for the people and against the corrupt elites, to others as rebellious incitement.
His sentence to two years in prison for “juvenile corruption” on Thursday, June 1, sparked – like every episode of this legal saga that has been going on since 2021 – a new wave of protests in the country that have left nine people dead. Third in the 2019 presidential election and President Macky Sall’s fiercest opponent, he was accused of rape and death threats against an employee at a beauty salon where he sought a massage between 2020 and 2021.
But the matter seemed as criminal as it was political – according to the election law, his conviction barred him from running in the next presidential election in 2024, for which he had already declared himself a candidate. He could now be arrested “at any time,” Justice Minister Ismaïla Madior Fall told reporters.
From tax official to prominent personality
A few years ago, however, he was unknown in the Senegalese political scene. Ousmane Sonko was born in 1975 in Thiès, 70 kilometers east of Dakar. Born to civil servant parents, he grew up in Casamance and completed his university education at the Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, where he obtained his master’s degree in public law in 1999. Two years later, he graduated with top grades from the National School of Administration (ENA) in Senegal and began his career as a tax inspector.
After three years in administration, he founded the Autonomous Union of Tax and Real Estate Agents (SAID). In 2014, he entered politics by founding his own party, the Pastef (Patriots of Senegal for Labour, Ethics and Fraternity).
In 2016, he came into the limelight when he accused the state of tax evasion and corruption based on his experience as an inspector. In particular, the official complains about the misappropriation of public funds or tax advantages that those in power have received in an unlawful manner. He published Petrole et gaz au Sénégal – Chronique d’une spoliation (ed. Fauves), in which he denounced the management of the country’s natural resources by the President and his entourage.
He was subsequently expelled from public service by presidential decree for “breaching the duty of restraint.” “He really became a leader at that time,” says Babacar Ndiaye, director of research and publications at Dakar-based think tank Wathi.
Figure of a youth looking for change
Elected MP in 2017, he feels comfortable on TV and smiles at meetings with activists. Knowing how to use shocking phrases, Ousmane Sonko defies the official narrative of a Senegal “on the rise” promised by President Macky Sall.
In 2019 he started the race for the presidential election. His speech seduces the youth. “He addresses young people with remarks in favor of economic sovereignty and patriotism, while at the same time criticizing the state’s governance,” continues Babacar Ndiaye. “He came up with a speech for change and it found some support among young people.” And most importantly, he’s not a “politician”. But his critics accuse him of a lack of experience and his sensational speeches.
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On February 24, 2019, he finished third in the presidential election with 15.67% of the vote, behind outgoing President Macky Sall and former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck.
Trials, a “sword of Damocles”
In February 2021, the opponent of Adji Sarr, a beauty salon worker, was charged with rape and death threats. He denies the facts and then denounces a political maneuver. His arrest sparked violent clashes between his supporters and the police. The wave of protests is of unprecedented proportions for the West African country known for its stability. Released under judicial supervision in March 2021, Ousmane Sonko claims to be the victim of a “state conspiracy” initiated by relatives of President Macky Sall.
Ousmane Sonko speaks to reporters after his release from police custody in Dakar, Senegal, Monday March 8, 2021. © Sylvain Cherkaoui, AP
This doesn’t stop Ousmane Sonko from continuing his rise in politics. In 2022, he was elected mayor of Ziguinchor after forming the Yewwi Askan Wi – YAW, Free the Wolof People – coalition with several opposition figures, including former mayor of Dakar Khalifa Sall.
Ousmane Sonko, the star of the social networks, speaks live on his Facebook page very regularly in order to reach a large part of the Senegalese population, making the rest of the political class and its methods of communication old-fashioned. Far from the virtual, Ousmane Sonko also knows how to sweep crowds.
Mehdi Ba, who has interviewed him twice for Jeune Afrique in recent years, describes him as a “left sovereignist”. The journalist explains: “The tone of his political discourse is more left-wing – even if the right-left division is not current in Senegal – and at the same time sovereignist, since he represents the interests of Senegal and those of the country on an international level.” People on a national level Level”.
“He could be Senegal’s next head of state”
In August 2022 he is running for the next presidential election in February 2024. Nicolas Normand, former French ambassador in Dakar, estimates that he could win an election. Provided that the young people go to the polls. Beyond his challenge to the economic and social situation, Ousmane Sonko “exploits a widespread resentment that needs scapegoating from the Senegalese government and France as its main economic partner,” he continues. In January, the opponent on France 24 firmly denied “anti-French” sentiment: “We have nothing against France”.
Opposition supporters two days before Ousmane Sonko’s trial, in Dakar, March 14, 2023. © AFP
But his political rise could be halted for good after his sentencing on Thursday, which leads to his ban under election law. As in recent weeks, supporters of Ousmane Sonko took to the streets and riots broke out in Dakar and several cities. The capital’s university resembles a battlefield. Groups of young people confronted the police with stones, who responded with tear gas. Several buses belonging to the medical school, history department and the country’s main journalism school were torched and offices ransacked.
“This commando verdict is the final phase of the conspiracy hatched by Macky Sall and his henchmen,” Ousmane Sonko’s party, Pastef, responded in a press release that called on the Senegalese to “take to the streets” and order the armed forces to join them .