Fallout From Senegal Unrest Hits Economy

Dakar, June 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Jun, 2023 ) :As Senegales struggle with the aftermath of deadly protests sparked by the conviction of an opposition leader, attention is shifting to the impact on the nation's economy.

Two days of violence have cost "billions of CFA francs" -- tens of millions of Dollars -- and political risk is threatening this year's growth targets, said consultant economist Mansour Sambe.

The West African state has long surfed on its reputation for stability in a region plagued by coups.

But that cosy image has been dented by clashes between the security forces and supporters of firebrand presidential candidate Ousmane Sonko.

Sixteen people died and hundreds were injured or arrested after Sonko on Thursday was sentenced to two years on charges of "corrupting" a young woman.

That verdict was the outcome of a two-year case for rape charges that transfixed the country, triggering sporadic unrest that had already claimed a dozen lives.

In a country that has only a meagre social safety net, many Senegalese live in precarity and eye disruption with dread.

- 'If you work, you eat' - Magaye Gaye, a 19-year-old toiletries seller at the Sandaga market in Dakar, said he had closed his stall on the eve of the trial's outcome.

Several days without business had left him with almost nothing.

"I have spent all my savings just to survive," he told AFP.

Clothing seller Modou Gueye, 46, was in a similar predicament.

"Clients have stayed away because they are afraid," he said Monday. "We live from one day to the next. If you have work, you eat, if you have no work, you go hungry." For many poor Senegalese, the coming Muslim festival of Tabaski is a daunting moment, as it requires the purchase of lamb for the traditional family feast.

Some have been badly hit by the government move at the weekend to suspend mobile internet access after it blocked access to social media, since millions use mobile phones to transfer money.

"The banks have been closed since Wednesday," Ady Thiam, a 45-year-old accountant, said while waiting in line on Monday.

"You can't get your wages or your pension. Daily workers aren't being paid. People can't get medical treatment," he said.

"People have so little anyway -- this is what causes them to revolt."