Senegal

Incidents cast a shadow over the start of the election campaign in Senegal this weekend with violent clashes between supporters of presidential majority candidate Amadou Ba and those of opponent Bassirou Diomaye Faye

In a surprising twist, Senegalese President Macky Sall officially announced the date of 24 March for the next presidential elections, triggering reactions across the country and evoking a mixture of relief and uncertainty among citizens

The Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, one of the largest in West Africa with more than 90.000 students, has reopened after months of closure due to political unrest

Senegalese took to the streets to protest against the possible extension of President Macky Sall's term of office beyond 2 April, the date for the handover of power, after the Constitutional Council rejected a law to postpone the presidential elections

Clashes occurred in Dakar between security forces and demonstrators protesting the unprecedented postponement of the presidential elections, announced by Head of State Macky Sall, originally scheduled for 25 February

A recently concluded seminar in Dakar addressed the possibility of defining a strategy for better management of labour and remittances from the diaspora to African countries in an initiative of the UN Economic Commission for Africa

First Sub-Saharan Africa's all-electric rapid transit bus network was launched in the capital Dakar; the 18.3-kilometre Dakar Brt project with 23 bus stops and three transfer hubs was realised by China Road and Bridge Corporation

Karim Wade, former minister and son of former Head of State Abdoulaye Wade, Senegalese opposition leader in exile, said he had filed papers to participate in February's presidential elections

To reduce prison crowding, Dakar has launched a pilot project to reduce the prison population by releasing hundreds of inmates under electronic supervision

American multinational soft drinks company Coca-Cola, through its local bottling partner, Industries de Boissons du Senegal, opened a new bottling plant in Diamniadio bringing 500 direct and 2500 indirect jobs

The hunger strike of political opponent Ousmane Sonko, who was in a very worrying state of health, has come to an end; Sonko asked to avoid responding to provocations and to concentrate on the essentials