Four people have become the first to face criminal charges connected to Senegal’s political unrest between 2021 and 2024, according to lawyers involved in the case.

Table Of Content

Charges against four people
Amnesty law and calls for accountability
Death toll remains disputed

The proceedings concern allegations made by Pape Abdoulaye Toure, who says he was unlawfully confined, abducted, tortured and subjected to violence in June 2023. The allegations have not been independently verified.

Charges against four people

Lawyer Taha Cisse said Ameth Tidiane Cisse and security officer Djibril Gaye, who was associated with the Dakar University Works Centre, are being prosecuted for criminal conspiracy, crimes against humanity and torture.

Gaye was remanded in custody, while Ameth Tidiane Cisse was placed under judicial supervision, according to Taha Cisse.

Lawyer Yaya Dia said Amadou Guindo Traore and Djibril Diaw were charged with complicity in crimes against humanity allegedly committed against Toure.

Dia said his clients deny involvement in the case. “My clients are in no way involved, whether directly or indirectly, in this case. They are completely unrelated to the acts attributed to them. They vigorously contest the allegations,” he said.

Several of the accused were described as known associates of a former minister of youth who served under former President Macky Sall. The supplied information does not identify the former minister.

Amnesty law and calls for accountability

The use of crimes-against-humanity charges, or complicity in such crimes, may allow the proceedings to proceed despite an amnesty law covering political violence during the period, according to the report.

Senegal’s government had pledged to pursue justice for victims after the unrest, despite the amnesty law being passed during the final weeks of Sall’s presidency in an effort to reduce political tensions.

French lawyer Juan Branco, who represents Toure, described the proceedings as “a modest and belated step forward, which is now expected to materialise in and pave the way towards a trial.” He added: “The Senegalese authorities have an obligation to deliver results regarding these crimes.”

Amnesty International in Senegal welcomed the proceedings and said it “will remain vigilant and committed at the side of the victims.”

Death toll remains disputed

The unrest took place during Sall’s tenure amid concerns that he was seeking to silence opponents and remain in power beyond the end of his mandate. Sall denied those concerns. The standoff intensified after the arrest of political rival Ousmane Sonko in 2023.

A collective of journalists and scientists recorded at least 65 deaths during demonstrations between March 2021 and February 2024. Officials in Senegal’s new government put the number above 80.

The unrest has been described as one of the most violent periods in Senegal since independence from France in 1960. Many young people were injured or detained during the demonstrations.