Thousands of Senegalese protested peacefully in the capital Dakar on February 17, a sign of easing the crisis after two weeks of tension in the West African country over the postponement of elections.
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| Protesters march peacefully in Senegal on February 17. (Source: AP) |
AFP reported that protesters wore T-shirts with the words "Aar Sunu Election" ("Protect our elections") - the name of the citizens' collective calling for the protest, or draped themselves in the colors of the Senegalese flag, and held banners such as "Respect the electoral calendar", "No constitutional coup" or "Free Senegal".
Gendarmes patrolled the entire area where the protest was taking place, but unlike previous banned protests, they were not wearing riot gear.
Since early February, the opposition has called for a “constitutional coup” when the government decided to postpone the presidential election, scheduled for February 25.
However, on February 15, Senegal's Constitutional Council nullified the government's decision and ordered elections to be held "as soon as possible".
On February 16, Senegalese President Macky Sall pledged to "fully implement the decision of the Constitutional Council, without delay conducting the necessary consultations to organize presidential elections as soon as possible."
With Mr. Sall's promise, the situation in Senegal changed, becoming more peaceful, as evidenced by the permission for the above-mentioned demonstration to take place.
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