Senegal’s authorities temporarily suspended mobile internet on Monday (5 February), upping the tension in the West African country as opposition leaders and their supporters stage protests against President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the presidential election originally planned for 25 February.
The Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy blamed ‘’the dissemination of several hateful and subversive messages relayed on social networks” for the shutdown because these posed “threats and disturbances to public order.” This was the third internet suspension in the last nine months in a country that has been hailed as one of Africa’s most stable democracies. Protests erupted on Sunday (4 February) after President Sall announced a day earlier that the presidential vote would be postponed for six months, pointing to a conflict between the judiciary and parliament regarding the disqualification of certain candidates.
Responding to calls by some opposition candidates, hundreds of men and women converged in the capital city Dakar, waving Senegalese flags and blocking traffic at various points with makeshift barricades of burning tires. Police in riot gear responded by firing tear gas and detaining protesters when some threw rocks at officers. Political uncertainty in Senegal has worsened since June 2023 when Ousmane Sonko, a popular opposition leader, was arrested. Since his arrest, at least two prominent opposition candidates have been arrested, while others have been attacked by the police. Analysts express concern that the crisis in Senegal may heighten instability in West Africa, especially given the region’s ongoing challenges with an increase in coups and threats to democratic institutions.