Just a week after political unrest resulted in violent clashes between security forces and opposition supporters, thousands of Senegalese flocked to the streets to commemorate the nation’s Independence Day on Tuesday.
Following a delay brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak, crowds packed the streets of the capital Dakar to attend the city’s first military parade in four years.
Daouda Tall, a University of Dakar student, remarked, “This is my first time attending,” as soldiers cheered and chanted and as tanks rolled along a main street.
Senegal, which earned independence from France in 1960, is regarded as one of the most stable democracies in West Africa, but recent protests have been sparked by worries that President Macky Sall would seek a third term in office.
Last week, security officials and followers of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko engaged in combat. Sonko had recently received a libel sentence from a court.