Over 10,000 supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko massed at a field in the capital Dakar on Tuesday, the first of three days of planned protests in support of the aspiring presidential candidate, who faces a libel case set to resume this week.
The demonstrations are the latest expression of growing tensions in Senegal in the run-up to a 2024 election that could see President Macky Sall vie for a controversial third term, which the opposition says is unconstitutional.
Sall, 61, has neither confirmed nor denied that he plans to run, amid widespread speculation. The election would pit him against an opposition field led by Sonko, who came third in the last election but has since gained clout, particularly among disillusioned urban youth.
Senegal adopted constitutional revisions in 2016, which among other things reduced presidential terms from seven to five years.
Sall was first elected in 2012 for a seven-year term under the old constitution. He won re-election in 2019 and some supporters have made the argument that he could run for another under the new constitution.
