Senegal’s top opposition leader freed from prison ahead of presidential election this month

Ousmane Sonko, the leading opposition figure in Senegal, was let free from prison late on Thursday, ahead of the country’s presidential election later this month, sparking joyous celebrations around the city.

Many consider Sonko to be the principal rival of President Macky Sall’s ruling party. Crowds of admirers met him outside the prison, holding up posters, yelling, and waving flags.

Sonko, who has been incarcerated since July, is engaged in a protracted legal struggle in an attempt to compete for president in the March 24 election. According to Sonko’s attorney Bamba Cisse, who spoke to The Associated Press, both he and his important ally Bassirou Diomaye Faye were freed.

The immediate effect of their publications on the election was unclear. Sonko was disqualified from standing for office, and Faye was chosen as the opposition’s candidate.

Supporters also gathered at Sonko’s house and at other locations in Dakar to celebrate. Convoys of supporters drove around the capital tooting their horns and yelling until late at night.

Sonko, who finished third in the 2019 presidential election, is popular among young people and his fiery campaign to tackle corruption has resonated in a country with economic hardship. The war in Ukraine has pushed up food and energy prices, further straining the economy.

Sall himself ultimately decided not to seek a third term in office after Sonko’s supporters launched months of protests that at times turned deadly. The protests have rocked Senegal’s image as a pillar of stability in West Africa, where dozens of coups and attempted coups have taken place in recent decades.

Sonko’s presidential bid has faced a prolonged legal battle that started when he was accused of rape in 2021. He was acquitted of the rape charges but was convicted of corrupting youth and sentenced to two years in prison last summer, which ignited deadly protests across the country.

In January, he was disqualified from the ballot because he faces a six-month suspended sentence following his conviction for defamation, Senegal’s highest election authority, the Constitutional Council, said at the time.

Sonko’s supporters maintain his legal troubles are part of a government effort to derail his candidacy. His release follows Sall’s decree to exonerate political prisoners, including hundreds that were arrested in the violent protests last year.

Presidential candidates kicked off their election campaigns on Saturday, following weeks of violent protests after the vote was delayed.

Sall tried to postpone the election last month, just weeks before it was to take place on Feb. 25. His announcement that the vote would instead be held 10 months from now plunged Senegal into uncertainty and drew protesters to the streets again. But the Constitutional Council, rejected Sall’s postponement and ordered the government to set a new date as soon as possible.