As worries grow that one of the last democracies in coup-hit West Africa may be in danger, the number of people killed in Senegal during protests over the decision to postpone the presidential election until December has risen to three.
There were reports that a student was killed as well during the protest.
Although opposition lawmakers have criticized the move as an “institutional coup,” President Macky Sall has stated that the delay is required because electoral disputes threaten the poll’s credibility.
Three people have died since Friday, according to Cartogra Free Senegal (CFS), a civil society platform that tracks casualties. On Saturday night, one young man died amid rumored protests in the southern city of Zinguinchor.
There has only been one confirmed death by the ministry thus far, and that was on Friday in the northern city of Saint-Louis.
When Sall’s initial mandate expires in early April, opposition lawmakers and presidential candidates who reject the postponement have threatened legal action and declared they will not accept Sall as president.
