A whole bunch of staff, union members and opposition supporters marched in Senegal’s capital Dakar on Wednesday to protest what they are saying are damaged authorities guarantees and a worsening cost-of-living, because the nation is tormented by a extreme debt disaster.
The protest was organized by the nation’s major labor unions and the Entrance for the Protection of Democracy and the Republic, also called FDR, opposition coalition.
Mody Guiro, secretary-general of the Nationwide Confederation of Senegalese Staff, the nation’s largest labor union, mentioned the federal government had damaged a deal final yr that had frozen strikes in trade for guarantees of higher wages and dealing circumstances. Authorities say a report debt disaster inherited from the earlier administration has left the federal government with little cash to spend.
Protesters sporting purple scarfs and union hats held indicators demanding that the federal government rehires laid off public sector staff and lowers revenue taxes. Some chanted slogans calling for the ousting of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko.
The West African nation’s authorities, led by Sonko and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, got here to energy in April 2024, promising to hold out formidable reforms, which included combating corruption, creating jobs for younger individuals and maximizing the nation’s pure useful resource advantages.
However the ruling PASTEF get together’s reform agenda has run into obstacles. A 2025 authorities audit revealed a larger-than-reported debt of $13 billion attributed to the earlier administration. Talks with the Worldwide Financial Fund over a brand new {financial} program have stalled because the nation’s fiscal outlook worsens.
Senegal’s debt-to-GDP ratio has surged to roughly 132%, one of many highest in Africa.
The nation’s {economic} difficulties have deepened the every day struggles of many individuals, with younger Senegalese among the many hardest hit.
Final February, protests at Senegal’s prime public college over unpaid {financial} support have been met with a violent response by safety forces, resulting in the demise of a pupil.
A youth activist, Mohamed Fall, on the protest on Wednesday mentioned “The nation is at a standstill. It’s important that the federal government finds options to revive Senegal’s economic system as an alternative of choosing fights all over the place”.
The port’s director, who was appointed shortly after President Faye got here to energy, has described the motion as a purge of irregular contracts inherited from the earlier administration. Unions disagree, arguing the employees focused have been largely these related to the earlier authorities, and that the firings have been illegal.
Esther Ndu
Times Nigeria