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A court in Senegal on Tuesday resumed the trial of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on rape charges, but he failed the second time he ran to attend the high-stakes proceedings.
Police in the capital Dakar set up a security cordon around the court, fearing a resurgence of clashes sparked by the case, but there were no immediate incidents.
Hugely popular with young people, Sonko labeled the attempt a political ploy aimed at derailing his bid for the presidency in 2024.
He was charged with rape and making death threats against an employee of a beauty salon in Dakar.
Sonko, 48, said he went to the salon for a massage for chronic back pain and denied any assault.
His trial was opened on May 16 but was immediately adjourned until May 23 after he failed to appear.
On Friday he asked for a guarantee for his safety as a condition of attending the trial.
“If all the (security) conditions are met, I will be there,” he said.
Sonko is believed to be in the southern city of Ziguinchor, several hundred kilometers (miles) from Dakar, where he is mayor.
Senegal has traditionally been a beacon of stability in troubled West Africa, but in recent years has been plagued by unrest that has sometimes turned deadly.
When Sonko was arrested in 2021, several days of protests left at least 12 people dead.
Three other people died during clashes between Sonko’s supporters and the police before the May 16 proceedings.
Sonko, president of the PASTEF-Patriots party, came third in the 2019 election against incumbent Macky Sall.
Political tensions have also been stoked by Sall’s refusal to rule out running for a third term as president, a move his opponents say is unconstitutional.
In March, Sonko was sentenced to six months in prison for defamation and insults against the tourism minister.
(AFP)
