Senegal’s main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was released late Thursday ahead of the country’s presidential elections scheduled for March 24, his lawyer said.
Both Sonko and his key ally, Basil Diomai Faye, have been released, Sonko’s lawyer Bamba Cisse told The Associated Press.
Supporters gathered at Sonko’s home and other locations in the capital Dakar to celebrate his release. Drivers celebrated by honking their horns.
It was not immediately clear what impact their release would have on the election.
Senegal sets election date for March 24 after controversial delay
Sonko has been in prison since July and has been fighting a long legal battle to run for president in the next election. With Sonko barred from running, Faye was nominated as the opposition’s candidate.
Sonko, who came third in the country’s 2019 presidential election, is widely seen as the main challenger to President Macky Sall’s ruling party. Sall himself ultimately decided not to seek a third term after Sonko’s supporters launched months of sometimes deadly protests.
FILE – Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko addresses journalists after being released from police custody in Dakar, Senegal, on March 8, 2021.
(AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui, File)
The protests have shaken Senegal’s image as a pillar of stability in the West African region, which has seen dozens of coups and attempted coups in recent decades.
Sonko’s presidential bid faces a long legal battle that began in 2021 when he was accused of rape. He was acquitted of rape charges, but last summer he was found guilty of defrauding young people and sentenced to two years in prison, sparking deadly protests across the United States.
Senegal’s top electoral authority, the Constitutional Council, announced in January that Sonko was disqualified from voting after being found guilty of defamation and facing a six-month suspended sentence. .
His supporters say his legal problems are part of a government effort to derail his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.
His release follows Sall’s decree exonerating political prisoners, including hundreds arrested during last year’s violent protests.
Senegal’s presidential candidates began campaigning on Saturday after weeks of violent protests across Africa following postponed voting.
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Last month, Sall tried to postpone the election weeks before the vote was due to be held on February 25th. His announcement that the vote would be held in 10 months plunged Senegal into uncertainty and drew demonstrators back to the streets. But the Constitutional Council rejected Sall’s postponement and ordered the government to set a new date as soon as possible.
