According to several media outlets, the government has dissolved Sonko’s party and shut down the internet in the country. Sonko is also charged with several crimes – including sedition.
Linnéa Falkinger and her family are in a house in Ziguinchor, the town where Sonko is mayor. In addition to the internet, their electricity is cut off on and off while the riots are going on in the streets.
– We have been sitting here for seven days. Every road is blocked by burning car tires and masked youths. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says we should stay indoors and wait out the fighting, but I have never seen it get this bad before, says Linnéa Falkinger, who runs a company in Senegal and has been traveling to and from the country for over 20 years.
The food is running out
– The stores are blocked and receive no deliveries. We have managed to buy some food from the windows of closed shops and through contacts who risked getting here on foot. Now the food is running out. We are happy that there is a well here from which we can boil the water and drink.
Even the cash is starting to run out. Getting to an ATM is dangerous and it has also closed due to the risk of robbery.
– People can’t go to work and here you work to live for the day, says Falkinger.
Difficult road to the airport
The family have booked plane tickets home to Sweden on Sunday but do not know if they can get to the airport.
– The nearest airport is an hour away by car, but we would have to go there on foot. We don’t want to take any risks with the children. In addition, it can be 40 degrees hot.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no advice against traveling to Senegal, but has at the same time asked the family to check into a hotel in the city that should be safer. But Linnéa Falkinger questions the advice:
– The hotel is located in the city center where riots are going on. All roads in and out are blocked by protesters. We just want to get out of here.
SVT has been in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which announces that it does not comment on details of the case for confidentiality reasons.