Tension in Senegal is set to persist

The streets of Dakar, the capital of Senegal, usually mix the chatter of busy traders, the aroma of grilled meat and the occasional glimpse of the sparkling Atlantic Ocean. Yet recently smoke from burnt-out buses darkens the view, the stench of tear-gas stings the eyes and chatter has been replaced by the crash of rocks into riot shields, the thud of baton on flesh, and the boom of police weapons. Witnesses say security forces have used live ammunition. “We are living a nightmare,” says Alioune Tine of Afrikajom Centre, a think-tank in Dakar.At least 23 people have been killed across the country since violence erupted on June 1st, says Amnesty International, a rights group, making the protests the bloodiest in decades. Some 400 have been injured. The government sent the army onto the streets and detained more than 500 people (including one hauled away from a television interview by a balaclava-clad gendarme.) It first blocked social media and messaging apps, then shut down almost all mobile internet in the capital.