Photo : ohanna De Tessieres, SOS Mediterranee, Handout via Reuters
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : ohanna De Tessieres, SOS Mediterranee, Handout via Reuters
IN BRIEF
Narmatha S and Vetriselvi Baskaran
Africa: 60 migrants die in the Mediterranean Sea
On 15 March, BBC reported that at least 60 migrants died after a rubber dinghy broke down in the Mediterranean Sea. The survivors claimed that they had departed from Zawiya, near the Libyan coast. The engine of the dinghy broke and was deserted in the sea for three days without food and water. Several of the migrants died of dehydration and hunger and not of drowning. (“60 migrants die in dinghy in Mediterranean, survivors say,” BBC, 15 March)
Senegal: Opposition leader Ousame Sonko released
On 15 March, Al Jazeera reported that Senegal’s main opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, was released from prison following the political crisis triggered by President Macky Sall’s announcement of election postponement. Macky Sall’s government abruptly passed a bill postponing the elections scheduled for 24 February to December. The postponement sparked violent protests. Later, the Constitutional Council annulled the postponement and is now due to take place on 24 March. The arrest of Sonko in June 2023 sparked similar violent protests. He was arrested on the charges of misleading the youth. Sonko's release ahead of the elections was celebrated by the youth who supported his anti-corruption stance. (“Senegal’s top opposition leaders released from prison as elections loom,” Al Jazeera, 15 March 2024)