Senegal Govt Refuses Electoral Body's Request on Sonko

Senegal's authorities have refused a request from the country's electoral commission, who asked that Ousmane Sonko be placed on the electoral lists again after his removal.

This news comes a few days after Sonko's lawyers said the main opposition leader slipped into a coma.

Radio France Internationale reports that Sonko has been under arrest since July, and imprisoned in Dakar's hospital.

His health first started deteriorating when he started a hunger strike in August to protest against what he calls harassment by the state. He resumed his hunger strike mid-October to support the opponents to President Macky Sall, and to call for freedom for political prisoners ahead of next year's elections.

His state of health is now "alarming" and "worsening" one of Sonko's lawyers, Ciré Cledor Ly, said. He entered a deep coma on Monday.

Senegalese opposition candidates say they are being harassed as they collect political sponsorships, a crucial step in the run-up to the February 2024 polls, RFI reports.

This article originally appeared on AllAfrica

Image by Mariame Wone/AllAfrica