An “independent and impartial” commission of inquiry will be set up following the protests that shook the country in early March. The government announced on Thursday, April 8, and presented its report on the events. In a 24-page memorandum, he reports 13 deaths during the riots. Violence that erupted in the wake of the trial of Ousmane Sonko, the opponent accused of raping an employee of a massage parlor. The authorities assure that justice will be done.
as reported from Dakar, Charlotte idrac
“Restore the truth and locate responsibility” after the demonstrations. These are the goals of this commission of inquiry, which was announced in a request for “appeasement” according to the government.
“It is an open commission and members of the opposition and civil society will be able to be there,” said Armed Forces Minister Sidiki Kaba, “so that this commission can work completely independently of what one or the other had to do. “
No timetable has been specified. The Commission will be responsible for highlighting the presence or absence of “occult forces” among the protesters – a term used by the Home Secretary during the disturbances – or on “thugs” – these accomplices – to the sides of the police.
While the opposition and civil society organizations accuse the police and gendarmes of excessive use of force, Sidiki Kaba assures that there will be no impunity. But he praises the professionalism of the defense and security forces. “The instructions from President Macky Sall are not to shoot at the protesters, and it was not done. The police showed restraint, coolness. If it had not been for that, we would have had a bloodbath. “
Legal proceedings involving Ousmane Sonko was “a hurricane”, a “shock wave” on “fertile ground”, the minister analyzes. He assures us that “justice will decide its judgment independently.”
For its part, the Movement for the Defense of Democracy “notes the creation of an independent commission of inquiry. This was one of the demands of this coalition of opposition political parties and civil society organizations created after the arrest of Ousmane Sonko. But M2D says it remains “vigilant” about the methods of setting up this commission, and is already showing its “skepticism” about its impartiality towards the opponent.
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