Africa’s political landscape has been deeply entangled with outside interference mostly from Western countries who took it upon themselves to dictate and influence the continent’s leadership.
Western nations have continued to view the continent through an imperialist lens and the current situation in Senegal is a perfect example. Throughout Africa’s Post-colonial history, the West remains committed to influence the continent’s leadership under the disguise of ‘promoting democracy’.
However, over the years and in pursuit of their national interest, Western nations have supported African leaders who have inhumanely exploited and abused their citizens. The reverse is the truth as many patriotic and upright African leaders had been victimized by western countries just because they failed to adhere to the neo-colonial agenda.
This overt neo-colonial agenda is still felt in Africa’s political and economic spectrum. The current situation in Senegal is a perfect case study as President Macky Sall continues to descend on political opponents and protesters while his cossy relation with the West remains unshaken.
Since independence, Senegal has maintained strong ties with France and other Western countries even though the system of colonial repression has been deeply entrenched in the West African nation.
Senegal has long been dubbed as a ‘model for democracy’ but it takes the government of Macky Sall to expose its hidden neo-colonial system of repression. President Sall had violated every democratic principle and rule of law when fearlessly challenged by a young Pan-African leader – Ousman Sonko.
He has arrested and jailed most of his political opponents using the state police and judicial system – a playbook used by many African leaders before him.
Since the arrest of leading Pan-African opposition leader Ousman Sonko three years ago, hardly a day passed without a climate of terror in Senegal as state police continue to raid on political opponents and protesters.
The government of Macky Sall instead of listening to the concern of the protesters decided to suppress them using live ammunition and arbitrary arrests. Scores of protesters were killed and many hospitalized in the last three years.
The Pan-African leader has been arrested, publicly man-handled and imprisoned countless times by the government of Sall. Members of the opposition party PASTEF and Front for a Popular Anti-imperialist and Pan-African Revolution movement (FRAPP) have faced constant abuse from State Police.
Ousman Sonko’s PASTEF movement has been strongly advocating for an end to imperialism – a voice that resonates with millions of Senegalese youths. The PASTEF movement became a threat to the government of Macky Sall and the interest of its allies and perhaps the reason why they took extreme measures to prevent its leader, Ousman Sonko from contesting in the general election.
The situation in Senegal would have made a trending negative news in every Western media if only Macky Sall wasn’t a western ally.
