In the wake of OusmaneSonko‘s hearing by the Senior Judge on the Sweet Beauty case, the rapid intervention unit of the Gendarmerie Nationale (GIGN) proceeded yesterday, to arrest certain elements of his close guard.These men were involved in violent confrontations last weekend in the village of Tchiky, in the commune of Diass.This arrest follows clashes between elements of Mr.Sonko‘s security and militants of the Alliance for the Republic (APR).Complaints were filed by the injured parties, and the prosecutor of Mbour spoke to the press, as did the lawyer of the security elements of the Pastef leader, Mr.Abdoulaye Tall.The investigation is ongoing, and all responsibilities will be determined, but this incident brings to mind the incongruity of the way personal security is implemented.Every big guy wants to engage in the business of close protection without any prerequisites.Every politician wants to surround themselves with their pack of behemoths who flex their muscles to intimidate or break everything in their path at the first sign of trouble.From the fraudulent outfits to the overzealous handling of protection devices, there is quite a lot to say about our political militias.We have tacitly come to accept the idea that a politician must have his contingent of henchmen.Sonko has his horde of « gorillas », MameMbayeNiang proudly displayed his « Marrons du feu ».IdrissaSeckhad come, campaign after campaign, to propel VieuxSandieryDiop as a Jack Bauer of our tropics.We can’t blame them all, because Abdoulaye Wade, at the presidential station, was able to bring some of his « blue hats » into the ranks of our Defense and Security Forces.The Socialist Party also had its strongmen who did not hesitate to break polling stations or to make Abdoulaye Wade persona non grata in some areas.This means that violence in politics is very persistent in our country.It would be hypocritical to be indignant about the violent spectacle offered by our wrestlers, during the face-to-face announcing their fights, when those who are supposed to run the city hire them to distribute beatings.The national commission of wrestling must have its word on the matter of conversion of active wrestlers into henchmen for politicians, in view of the negative image that they can portray of their sport.Coming back to our politicians, there is symbolism in wanting to serve the populations and seeking their vote, while barricading themselves in a forest of strongmen.It is even more revolting because these elements of close protection of our politicians are often in possession of illegal weapons that they have very little training for, if any.What is the point of this gratuitous violence that our political class would like to promote in a civilised society and with a State endowed with all the sovereign prerogatives?The cases of violence that have led to senseless loss of human life during political activities are legion and our nation is still slow to regulate everything that surrounds the provision of close security services.The incident between elements of the close guard of the Party of Unity and Gathering (Pur) and militants of Bennobokkyaakaar during the presidential election of 2019, having caused the death of a man in Tambacounda, should have been enough of a warning to disarm all the militias that surround our politicians, by offering them the possibility of committing recognised and seasoned professionals to their protection.The State substitutes itself for the big guys during republican events such as electoral campaigns, but some of our politicians are trigger-happy and accuse our Defense and Security Forces of all kinds of plots.We must not forget that a politician, in this case OusmaneSonko, had refused, during the presidential campaign of 2019, to be protected by elements of the Defense and Security Forces, suspecting them of being in the pay of the then Minister of the Interior, AlyNgouilleNdiaye.If our politicians are so obsessed by the need to be prescribers of a violence that they would like to be legitimate, it is not surprising that all the religious groups also create their militias and moral police (without forgetting their reformatory centres) to make them cohabit with our governmental bodies.One would be tempted to say that this country is a big misunderstanding.By Serigne Saliou DIAGNE / saliou.diagne@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Dema SANE