Khalifa Sall, leader of Taxawu Senegaal, and Pape Djibril Fall, leader of the Servants Movement, suffered boos from the pro-Sonko camp during the grand peaceful rally of the forces vives movement « F24 ». The « Patriots » did not follow the instructions of their leader, Ousmane Sonko, who had asked them to reserve a standing ovation for the leaders on stage to read their speech thanks to the meeting between President Macky Sall and Barthélemy Dias, Mayor of Dakar, on the dialogue.

The first peaceful rally of the forces vives movement « F24 » to say no to the 3rd term and demand the release of « political detainees », which drained a lot of people, ended yesterday in a fish tail. The reason: as predicted by Le Quotidien in yesterday’s edition, the leader of Taxawu Senegaal was the object of boos from supporters of the president of the Pastef party, Ousmane Sonko. The latter disregarded the instructions of their leader.

Yesterday, after a two-hour meeting, it was the turn of the former mayor of the capital to speak.  This is when the « Patriots » and other sympathizers and demonstrators committed to the cause of the Pastef party leader expressed their opposition to any word from the leader of Taxawu. The declaration of his predecessor at the podium, Malick Gakou, president of the Grand Parti (Gp), who harangued the pro-Sonkos by displaying his unwavering support for his alter ego and challenged them on their position on the President’s call for dialogue Macky Sall did not make it easy for the mentor of the Mayor of Dakar, Barthélemy Dias, whose latest statements on the dialogue aroused the anger of the « Pastéfiens ». 

Unable to deliver his speech except « to ask that we let those who shout do it and those who want to applaud, do it », Khalifa Sall saw the president of the Conference of Yewwi leaders, Habib Sy , and the president of the Prp, Déthié Fall, come to his rescue, helped in this by the master of ceremonies who slipped: “Khalifa Sall suffered an injustice.” « We are together! We are together! My speaking time has not rung yet. I know you are great patriots. Are you great patriots? If you want us to remove President Macky Sall, we have to work together on the basis of the truth. Let us be united to face the power. Applaud all the leaders who are here.  I ask you to applaud Ousmane Sonko. I ask you to applaud Khalifa Sall. I ask you to applaud Pape Djibril Fall. I ask you to applaud Karim Wade”, asserts Déthié Fall, and highlighted the collaboration between Ousmane Sonko and Khalifa Sall, which earned a victory in the last legislative elections of the Yewwi askan wi Coalition. Despite the hustle and bustle that his presence on the stage aroused, Khalifa Sall, leader of Taxawu Senegaal, insisted on responding to those who booed him.    “What you are doing is not pretty at all, it is not pretty to see. If you want us to achieve what we have set ourselves, this is not how you have to behave. It’s absolutely no use at all. You don’t serve your leader. You don’t serve your party. If you want to get Macky Sall out of power, that’s not how we’re going to achieve that. It won’t give any results. It does not impress much,” said Khalifa Sall who called for the release of “political prisoners”, while congratulating the F24 for having succeeded its bet of mobilization.

Communications officer of the Pastef party and placed under judicial supervision, El Hadj Malick Ndiaye, showing the electronic bracelet on his left foot, said he had come to deliver the message from their leader, Ousmane Sonko – the most absent – of this gathering. “It is a wandering prisoner who speaks to you today”, he ironically said, before delivering the message of his leader in these terms:  “Ousmane Sonko is following live what is happening here. He told me he has a twinge in his heart. You must understand why. He says to applaud any leader who passes by to make his speech, rather than start booing him. Continuing his speech, El Malick Ndiaye maintained that “Macky Sall has decided that we will not respond to him in this country. That is why he arrested 364 political detainees. Ending up in prison means nothing, he just has to build other prisons”.

The master of ceremonies announced a “surprise guest at the F24 rally” and put on “a soundtrack of President Macky Sall who held a speech against the third candidacy of Abdoulaye Wade in 2011”. The leader of the Coalition And gor yi jotna / The silent majority, Lawyer Moussa Diop, chose to brandish the shirt he wore during a rally at the Place de la Nation against the 3rd candidacy of President Wade, while giving his speech yesterday.  Clashes were recorded towards the end of the demonstration, according to a source, the daughter of Barthélemy Dias was the target of stone throwing, during this rally which the mayor of Dakar, absent from the country, did not attend.

By Amadou MBODJI / ambodji@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH