Local Mayor Mahamady Sissoko reported that a police crackdown on a protest demanding mining jobs in southeastern Senegal resulted in at least two fatalities due to gunfire on Monday.
In the town of Khossanto, police resorted to force against demonstrators who were protesting changes to local regulations regarding the hiring of unskilled labor by mining companies, he added.
“We are at two dead from gunshots and seven wounded, who are being treated at the regional hospital,” Sissoko said by phone, adding that around 37 people had been detained.
The Senegalese branch of the human rights organization Amnesty International has denounced the violence and urged an investigation through a post on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
The rights group has called on the defense and security forces to avoid excessive use of force against demonstrators.
Human rights organizations have voiced apprehension regarding the government’s management of recent episodes of political turmoil, which have tarnished Senegal’s reputation as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies.
In June, at least 16 individuals lost their lives in confrontations, and some of their family members claimed that security forces employed live ammunition.
