Afrigather Lots of of Senegalese demonstrated in Dakar on Friday to demand authorized motion after quite a few irregularities have been present in a report by the Court docket of Auditors on the administration of anti-Covid funds, an AFP journalist famous.
The gang gathered on the Place de la Nation in Dakar, below the decision of a dozen civil society organisations, shouting “To the thieves” and “You’ll not digest our billions!
A big police pressure was deployed across the sq. to oversee the rally, which was authorised by the prefect and supported by the opposition, which has repeatedly denounced the authorities’ “theft” in latest days.
In mid-December, an audit by the Court docket of Auditors of Senegal on the “Response Fund in opposition to the consequences of Covid-19” amounting to greater than 740 billion CFA francs (greater than 1.1 billion euros), financed by donors and the state in 2020 and 2021, pointed to “shortcomings”, “overbilling” or “lack of proof” of expenditure.
Civil society is demanding the resignation of all these implicated and the reimbursement of the alleged misappropriations.
The federal government has defended itself by stressing that the reported shortcomings concern lower than one % of the whole quantity of the fund and has promised to observe the suggestions of the Court docket of Auditors.
“Let justice be accomplished. I’m right here to denounce the misappropriation of the funds,” stated Alioune Tine, founding father of the Afrikajom Middle and a civil society determine.
“I’m right here to denounce impunity and the impartiality of justice. I’m outraged to see that our leaders have embezzled our billions whereas we have been between life and demise,” stated Papis Diatta, a 35-year-old demonstrator.
The slogan “No to the third time period” appeared on a number of placards, due to the doubt that persists on the choice of President Macky Sall, elected in 2012 for seven years and re-elected in 2019 for 5 years, to run once more for president in 2024.
The demonstrators additionally chanted the identify and referred to as for the discharge of Pape Alé Niang, a journalist detained for greater than a month for “disclosing info more likely to hurt the nationwide defence”, who was launched after which returned to detention on 20 December.
