Senegal police clash with rioters
- 12 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
Senegal security forces clashed with protesters in the capital and surrounding suburbs on Sunday (February 19).
It was the fifth straight day of demonstrations against President Abdoulaye Wade's candidacy in a Feb. 26 election.
Youths set fire to tyres, smashed car windows and barricaded roads near the presidential mansion in Dakar
Several protesters were injured as police defending it fired back with teargas, rubber bullets and rocks.
One protester was killed when a rubber bullet hit him in the head in the town of Rufisque, 25 km (15 miles) from Dakar, local media said.
This brings the death toll to at least six in pre-electoral violence since last month.
The clashes come amid mounting pressure on Wade from opposition rivals and international partners to withdraw his bid for a third term in office, and have raised fears of growing instability in West Africa's most peaceful country.
Street clashes began late last month after Wade's candidacy was validated by the country's top legal body.
Senegal security forces clashed with protesters in the capital and surrounding suburbs on Sunday (February 19).
It was the fifth straight day of demonstrations against President Abdoulaye Wade's candidacy in a Feb. 26 election.
Youths set fire to tyres, smashed car windows and barricaded roads near the presidential mansion in Dakar
Several protesters were injured as police defending it fired back with teargas, rubber bullets and rocks.
One protester was killed when a rubber bullet hit him in the head in the town of Rufisque, 25 km (15 miles) from Dakar, local media said.
This brings the death toll to at least six in pre-electoral violence since last month.
The clashes come amid mounting pressure on Wade from opposition rivals and international partners to withdraw his bid for a third term in office, and have raised fears of growing instability in West Africa's most peaceful country.
Street clashes began late last month after Wade's candidacy was validated by the country's top legal body.