SENEGAL: THE OPPOSITION'S THREATENS TO USE VIOLENT TACTICS

UNCLAS DAKAR 000521 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KDEM ECON SG SUBJECT: SENEGAL: THE OPPOSITION'S THREATENS TO USE VIOLENT TACTICS ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On April 26, the youth movements of Senegal's opposition parties organized a demonstration to protest rising commodities prices. This heralds a new strategy for the opposition, which is looking to gain some political advantage from the government's poor economic policies. Unlike previous times, the government authorized the demonstration while President ratcheted up the rhetoric by launching a political counter offensive. END SUMMARY. No Tour de Force -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The demonstration took place on a main boulevard in Dakar with about 1,500 demonstrators responding to the opposition's call to protest against looming food shortages. In a jab at the government, demonstrators wore vests made of plastic rice bags and women carried cooking pots with holes. This fairly meager protest was led by main opposition leaders Ousmane Tanor Dieng of the Socialist party (PS),Abdoulaye Bathily of the Democratic League (LD/MPT) and Amath Dansokh of the Party of Labor (PIT). Unlike previous demonstrations when peaceful demonstrators were systematically attacked by police with tear gas and electric batons this one had a carnival-like atmosphere. Although some shop keepers closed their stores, many others, including Chinese traders, were open for business. The inhabitants of the area cheered the demonstrators although they chose to remain on their door steps. GOS authorized the protest -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Recently members of the opposition indicated that they were prepared to be more confrontational with the ruling PDS (Democratic Party of Senegal). In what seems to be a change of tactics, the government not only authorized this protest but the PDS leadership also cancelled a scheduled a counter demonstration by their youth wing at the same place and same, calling it undemocratic. However, there remains an underlying fear by the authorities that they may yet lose control of public order as evidenced by the nighttime arrest of two young socialist leaders, Mr. Ali Mane and Ms. Aicha Dieng. Both were released at 7:00 pm after the conclusion of the demonstration. A member of the PS youth movement told Embassy that Mane is "violent and excessively militant." As for Ms. Dieng's arrest, he speculated that as she is the right arm of Barthelemy Dias, the architect of the demonstration, her arrest served as a blackmailing chip to rein in the volatile Dias. The ruling party has got the message -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Wade seems to have understood that he has to win the public opinion battle. His government has begun a communications campaign touting achievements in education, health, and infrastructure while he takes on the task of vilifying his opponents. At a huge political meeting just before the opposition's demonstration, he took swipes at all the leading opposition leaders calling them incompetent and questioning their suitability to be President. Comment -------------- ¶5. (SBU) As evidenced by this weekend's less than stellar turnout, the Senegalese opposition remains atomized and weak, thus limiting its push for a hardening of the tone against Wade's government. Wade is deftly maneuvering through this delicate social quagmire and may yet succeed provided that the food situation does not deteriorate further and he maintains what seems to be a new move to allow dissent and a respect for public liberties. SMITH