Will he have a burst of pride, courage or dignity to dare to bring himself, without being brought manu militari before his accuser Adji Sarr in a public trial? Ousmane Sonko multiplied all the subterfuges, all the delays to push back this fateful face-to-face. He had resigned himself to going to the office of the investigating magistrate, Dean of the judges, Oumar Maham Diallo, on the occasion of a confrontation session to save himself from being picked up by the police, in execution of an inevitable arrest warrant, the threat of which was brandished by the judicial authorities.

The immediate consequence of a refusal to appear would inevitably have been the review of his judicial situation submitted to him by the judge. We know the passivity of Ousmane Sonko, that famous Tuesday, December 6, 2022, in the office of the Investigating Judge, in front of a pugnacious complainant who seemed to have ended up turning the situation around to now have a clear ascendancy over her alleged sexual aggressor. Indeed, Ousmane Sonko talks about everyone, attacks and insults magistrates, journalists, his political opponents, lawyers, officers of the police and gendarmerie, yet he never ventures to pronounce a word, loudly, on the account of Adji Sarr who nevertheless remains the source of his misfortunes and setbacks and who never ceases to look at him, to challenge him and even to taunt him on social media. The only time he was capable of pronouncing the name of Adji Sarr, was to cover her with flowers, with praise. That is to say!

Ousmane Sonko deserts Dakar

The man seeks to flee his trial of May 16, 2023. He avoided facing Mame Mbaye Niang in court talk less of bringing the evidence he claims to have. He claimed to be impatient to face Adji Sarr in court to dismantle the sordid plot hatched against his person. If Mame Mbaye Niang eventually went to court, it was precisely because Ousmane Sonko said he would only bring out his evidence in court against him in the Prodac affair. At the beginning of this affair, Mame Mbaye seemed to be satisfied with a jury of honor by affirming that if « Ousmane Sonko published any report which would have pinned him, he would resign from his position of minister ». At the trial, Ousmane Sonko had preferred to feign discomfort in order to be hospitalized and organize himself to no longer come to the trial hearing.

In the Adji Sarr case, which will be called tomorrow May 16, 2023, he continues to hide from bailiffs and police officers, committed to bring him notifications and other procedural documents. He ended up choosing the weakest approach possible, that of declaring that he did not recognise the judicial institutions and that he did not have to explain himself one way or another. He chose « desertion » rather than seeking to clear his name.

On May 1, 2023, during a political tour in the localities of Mont Rolland, Pambal and Taïba Ndiaye, Ousmane Sonko, his legal agenda already in progress with trials for defamation and forgery in public writings against Mame Mbaye Niang and for rape and sexual abuse against Adji Sarr, had only one message:  « Prepare to resist, the fight is in Dakar, take cars or go on foot, the fight is fought in Dakar and not inside the country ».  And added it was the process, to start a « civil disobedience against an unjust Justice ». Thus, announcing that he would no longer respond to summonses from judicial institutions and refused any further collaboration. He took advantage of the occasion to condemn the magistrates to scorn.

Many of his loyalists have undoubtedly begun to make arrangements to go to the final fight in the streets of Dakar, the fight for the « revolution » which he called, to oust Macky Sall from power. The appointment has therefore been set for the “Mortal Kombat”. How pitiful, that in this affair Ousmane Sonko has taken the opposite route, leaving Dakar the day before his first trial to take refuge in Ziguinchor, leaving his troops rallying Dakar without a leader. He has already seen his vulnerability in Dakar because each time the police forces wanted to take him to a destination of their choice, they got there without trouble. Indeed, after the dramatic events of March 2021 with their procession of deaths, the public authorities have taken steps to resolve law enforcement situations more effectively.  Further, groups were dismantled and effective crackdowns carried out in the ranks of those carrying out disastrous projects of destabilization.

Ousmane Sonko left Dakar and staged his departure with a photo, published on May 2, 2023, through social media, showing that he was on his way to Ziguinchor. Since then, he has remained in the city of which he is the mayor (more exactly in the zone, should we say), spending more time than he has ever had before. Was he hoping to find crowds of young men ready to defend his Headquarters? He truly has no qualms about people giving their lives for his false statements or his sexual encounters.

He gave young people devoted to his cause this staggering instruction: « ku dé sa yaay juraat » (Editor’s note: if you die your mother will give birth again) what a beautiful tribute to the victims and what touching compassion for the bereaved families! Yet he quickly made up his mind about going on walks in his city and finding that his presence no longer charmed many people. On the contrary, his constituents, frustrated by the management of their mayor, challenged him on crucial questions to which he cannot proffer answers. Ousmane Sonko will only see a few onlookers and a few ladies of a certain age stand watch in front of his home.

It must be said that the announcement of his bravado against the judicial institutions made people smile. We thought that it was just fanfare, especially since he was careful not to disengage his lawyers who continued to plead for him. After his six-month suspended prison sentence and the fine of 200 million francs in civil reparation to Mame Mbaye Niang, Ousmane Sonko swallowed his bravado against the judicial institutions to appeal to the Supreme Court. It should be noted that despite his insults and threats against the magistrates, he systematically uses all the legal remedies available to him, thus participating in « the judicial pranks » which he vehemently denounces. Better, as if it were not for inconsistency, at the end of a meeting of the Municipal Council in Ziguinchor on May 8, 2023, he announced that he was filing a complaint (before the same Senegalese justice) for embezzlement of public funds against the former municipal team led by Abdoulaye Baldé.

All this is to show that the disobedience advocated by Ousmane Sonko is only a simple means of escape, an evasion. Moreover, when he understood that he would not find in his city of Ziguinchor the human shield which could prevent the security forces from executing a manu militari appearance, Ousmane Sonko took the lead to blend in with nature. He cannot be found in Ziguinchor and is traveling through various « sacred woods » in the region. Where will he be today, May 15, 2023? The law requires him to go to the registry of the court in charge of his case in order to confirm his presence on the day of the hearing. Otherwise, the judge may issue a « body arrest order » and he could be apprehended in a humiliating manner. Only, should it be possible to lay hands on him.

Some fear that by approaching the bases of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (Mfdc) in recent days, at the risk of being tried in absentia, he is preparing for a run and seeking a way to put himself under the protection of separatist rebels. Certainly, fleeing and going underground for someone who wants to become President of the Republic in 2024, would not be the best omen for his supporters, especially since, if necessary, an arrest warrant would be issued against his person. Could he hide indefinitely? Anyway, we can say that he will find it difficult to find lodging and cover in the trenches of the Mfdc and for good reason!

The Mfdc rebel bases close in in front of him.

Many leaders of the Mfdc, in particular César Atoute Badiate, found in the person of Ousmane Sonko  » Casamance’s missing political leader who  » separatist, one would add. Through these columns, we had repeatedly warned about the dangerous links of Ousmane Sonko with factions of the Mfdc. There is no more hypocritical trial of intention which we were not subjected to for having said aloud what everyone knew and said quietly. But, in the face of the despicable assassinations and the humiliating and degrading hostage taking of Senegalese soldiers in The Gambia by elements of the warlord Salif Sadio, the silence of Ousmane Sonko more than embarrassed those who still wanted to absolve him of links with the Mfdc. Better still, people arrested during violent demonstrations in Dakar and Touba, organized by the Pastef party, claimed their membership in the armed rebellion.

The Dakar Prosecutor, Amady Diouf, revealed the arrest on June 8, 2022 of Ousmane Kabiline Diatta, member of the Mfdc and man of action of a subversive commando, members of the Pastef party, perpetrators of acts and maneuvers likely to commit public insecurity or cause serious political disturbance. In another press conference on March 28, 2023, the Attorney General at the Dakar Court of Appeal, Ibrahima Bakhoum, revealed the arrest of Mamadou Diémé and a certain Goudiaby with the nickname « Rpg »; both claim to belong to the Mfdc.

Certainly, Ousmane Sonko remains very close to César Atoute Badiate. Moreover, it was under the coverage of this commander of the Southern Front of the Mfdc, that Ousmane Sonko and Barthélémy Dias were able to go to Guinea Bissau on January 21, 2022.

For his part, Salif Sadio could not forgive Ousmane Sonko his good relationship with his sworn enemy, César Atoute Badiate. Thus, Salif Sadio had sworn to make him pay for this alliance. We mentioned this bickering in a column “the quarrel between Ousmane Sonko and Salif Sadio” dated February 21, 2022: The mayor of Ziguinchor did not want to aggravate the situation and therefore forbade himself to pipe a word on the hostage taking of the soldiers perpetrated by elements of Salif Sadio. This silence, as we have said, was too loud. The fact remains that he was working to pacify his relations with the warlord. It was in this context that he was led, on the night of January 5 to 6, 2023, by a group of 13 notables of Blouf to meet Salif Sadio in the maquis. Ironically, this was when students from Ziguinchor sought to lynch him the day before, pushing him to seek refuge in the premises of the national gendarmerie.

A witness explained that Salif Sadio submitted Ousmane Sonko to a pen selection exercise consisting in choosing among three different colors (black, red and blue). Ousmane Sonko chose the blue pen. Salif Sadio explained to his interlocutor that his choice indicated that he was to represent the Mfdc to sign a peace agreement that he intended to negotiate with the State of Senegal, especially given that his awareness that the new balance of power is too favorable to the Senegalese army and that the Mfdc could not win the war. Salif Sadio offered his host the position of political leader of the Mfdc and gave him a reflection period of one week, at the end of which Ousmane Sonko was to return to tell him whether or not he accepted the proposal.

It would be two weeks later that Ousmane Sonko, no doubt fearing for his safety, dispatched the same group to Salif Sadio with the message that he could not accept the offer but nevertheless wanted the warlord to provide him with elements for his personal protection. Salif Sadio promised to think about the matter. Ousmane Sonko no longer seems to think of setting foot in the stronghold of Salif Sadio. Meanwhile, other factions of the Mfdc such as that of Djakaye, led by Fatoma Coly, ended up distancing themselves and signing a new peace agreement, on Saturday May 13, 2023, with the State of Senegal. On the southern front, César Atoute Badiate has lost much of his influence due to deep divisions between the various unit leaders. A meeting between villages in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau took place a few days ago in Emaye and the instruction that came out of it was to go in the direction of the dialogue advocated by Macky Sall. This call seems to be heard by elements based in Cassolol who hold, as hostage, a local security officer (Asp) from Santhiaba Manjaque.

By Madiambal DIAGNE / mdiagne@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH / Serigne S. DIAGNE