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Opposition candidate Faye takes early lead in Senegal presidential polls

Opposition candidate Faye takes early lead in Senegal presidential polls

EARLY results from Senegal's presidential vote put opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye ahead, sending his supporters to celebrate in the streets, though his main rival from the ruling coalition said a run-off will be needed to determine the winner. At least five of the 19 candidates in the race issued statements as results trickled after the election on Sunday, congratulating Faye. Former prime minister Amadou Ba, the ruling coalition's candidate, said however that celebrations were premature. "For our part, and considering the feedback of the results from our team of experts, we are certain that, in the worst case scenario,…
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Senegal’s fishermen head for Spain as fish stocks dwindle at home

Senegal’s fishermen head for Spain as fish stocks dwindle at home

FISHERMAN Khalifa Ndour says Senegalese President Macky Sall is responsible for the plunge in his country's fish stocks that forced him to risk his life to seek work as a farmhand in northeastern Spain. Back home in Senegal, his wife Mariatou Mbodj misses her husband. She can't find work as a fish processor, and she and Ndour's three children wait anxiously in Bargny, on the coast south of the capital Dakar, for news of his progress in getting legalised in Spain. Ndour, 42, is one of tens of thousands of Africans, many former fishermen, making a perilous journey to Spain…
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After months in jail, Senegalese family vows to vote out ruling party

After months in jail, Senegalese family vows to vote out ruling party

WHEN Aramata Djiba was arrested and taken with her four-month-old baby to a maximum security prison in Senegal's capital Dakar, she said she felt it was the "end of the world". "I had no hope... I cried for a week," said the 29-year-old kindergarten teacher. She said she shared a cell, and a single toilet, with more than 40 other women for six months. Djiba, who was indicted in September alongside five of her relatives on criminal charges the family say were politically motivated, was released this week under a new amnesty law. Djiba is elated to be free, but nonetheless…
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Three dead in Senegal protests over delayed presidential election

Three dead in Senegal protests over delayed presidential election

THE death toll amid protests in Senegal over the postponement of the presidential election until December has climbed to three, as concerns grow that one of the remaining democracies in coup-hit West Africa is under threat. The announcement of the delay just three weeks ahead of the planned February 25 vote triggered violent clashes on Friday between protesters and police in Dakar and several other cities, in a wave of unrest that many fear will spill over into protracted instability. President Macky Sall has said the delay is necessary because electoral disputes threatened the credibility of the poll, but some opposition lawmakers…
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Senegal battles first major wave of unrest over vote delay

Senegal battles first major wave of unrest over vote delay

CLASHES between security forces and protesters gripped Senegal's capital and other cities, the first widespread unrest over the delay of a presidential election that many fear could lead to protracted instability. Less than three weeks before the February 25 vote, parliament voted to push it back to December, sealing an extension of President Macky Sall's mandate that has raised concerns that one of the remaining democracies in coup-hit West Africa is under threat. In the capital Dakar, police in riot gear fired tear gas, stun grenades and what appeared to be rubber bullets at large crowds of protesters who were burning tyres…
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Five Senegalese commandos missing after suspected drug-smuggling boat sinks

Five Senegalese commandos missing after suspected drug-smuggling boat sinks

FIVE Senegalese marine commandos have been missing since Friday when a suspected drug-trafficking boat was scuppered off the coast of the capital Dakar while it was being searched by the navy, the armed forces said. A Senegalese patrol boat intercepted the vessel, suspected of involvement in the trade in which drug smugglers ship tonnes of cocaine from South America to Europe, using West African countries as transit points. "During the search, the marine commando response team on board noticed that the ship's valves had opened," the armed forces said in a statement. "Everything suggests that this sabotage action, consisting of…
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NBA Africa expands in the East

NBA Africa expands in the East

NBA Africa has established a subsidiary in Nairobi, adding a fifth office to a network that includes Cairo, Johannesburg, Dakar, and Lagos. According to NBA Africa/s new CEO, Victor Williams, the NBA Kenya office will bolster basketball within the country, especially in the school curriculum. “We want to train more teachers and coaches in the game to strengthen the administration of the game by also offering clinics to referees. We also want to work with prospective partners who see the game as a vehicle to engage young people,” Williams explained. The NBA launch event on November 29th included a junior…
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Senegal’s lone developer fights to revive photography with film

Senegal’s lone developer fights to revive photography with film

FROM a concrete jetty on Dakar's sun-baked coastline, Senegalese photographer Amy Saar clicked the shutter of her vintage Pentax camera, capturing the light of the horizon on colour film purchased from the country's only developer. "Dakar looks great with certain coloured films because they really bring out the warm, vibrant colours," Saar said, loading a fresh roll into the camera. "Film can be really great in Africa because in general, it’s sunny (and) very colourful.” Saar is part of a growing resurgence of analogue photography enthusiasts in Senegal, nurtured by Le Sel studio in the capital’s Ouakam neighbourhood. Founded two…
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Senegalese riots victim warned of gun violence

Senegalese riots victim warned of gun violence

EDWARD MCALLISTER and DIADIE BA ELHAJI Cisse was busy on Friday, the day he was killed, tweeting hundreds of times as riots erupted beyond the walls of his compound in a busy suburb of Senegal's capital Dakar. In one post, the 26-year-old student warned his 1,700 followers about security forces firing live rounds at protesters. In another, he shared first aid tips for people wounded on the streets. Offline he helped too, showing elderly neighbours how to ease their discomfort from inhaling mouthfuls of tear gas, said his younger brother Djimbala Ba. "He spent his time in the service of…
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Senegalese man warned of gun violence the day he was shot dead in riots

Senegalese man warned of gun violence the day he was shot dead in riots

ELHAJI Cisse was busy on Friday, the day he was killed, tweeting hundreds of times as riots erupted beyond the walls of his compound in a busy suburb of Senegal's capital Dakar. In one post, the 26-year-old student warned his 1,700 followers about security forces firing live rounds at protesters. In another, he shared first aid tips for people wounded on the streets. Offline he helped too, showing elderly neighbours how to ease their discomfort from inhaling mouthfuls of tear gas, said his younger brother Djimbala Ba. "He spent his time in the service of others," said Ba, 24, who…
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