VZCZCXRO6357
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0521 1271232
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061232Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0429
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS DAKAR 000521 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KDEM ECON SG
SUBJECT: SENEGAL: THE OPPOSITION'S THREATENS TO USE VIOLENT TACTICS 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  On April 26, the youth movements of Senegal's 
opposition parties organized a demonstration to protest rising 
commodities prices.  This heralds a new strategy for the opposition, 
which is looking to gain some political advantage from the 
government's poor economic policies.  Unlike previous times, the 
government authorized the demonstration while President ratcheted up 
the rhetoric by launching a political counter offensive.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
No Tour de Force 
---------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The demonstration took place on a main boulevard in Dakar 
with about 1,500 demonstrators responding to the opposition's call 
to protest against looming food shortages.  In a jab at the 
government, demonstrators wore vests made of plastic rice bags and 
women carried cooking pots with holes.  This fairly meager protest 
was led by main opposition leaders Ousmane Tanor Dieng of the 
Socialist party (PS), Abdoulaye Bathily of the Democratic League 
(LD/MPT) and Amath Dansokh of the Party of Labor (PIT).  Unlike 
previous demonstrations when peaceful demonstrators were 
systematically attacked by police with tear gas and electric batons 
this one had a carnival-like atmosphere.  Although some shop keepers 
closed their stores, many others, including Chinese traders, were 
open for business.  The inhabitants of the area cheered the 
demonstrators although they chose to remain on their door steps. 
 
 
GOS authorized the protest 
-------------------------- 
¶3.  (SBU) Recently members of the opposition indicated that they 
were prepared to be more confrontational with the ruling PDS 
(Democratic Party of Senegal).  In what seems to be a change of 
tactics, the government not only authorized this protest but the PDS 
leadership also cancelled a scheduled a counter demonstration by 
their youth wing at the same place and same, calling it 
undemocratic.  However, there remains an underlying fear by the 
authorities that they may yet lose control of public order as 
evidenced by the nighttime arrest of two young socialist leaders, 
Mr. Ali Mane and Ms. Aicha Dieng.  Both were released at 7:00 pm 
after the conclusion of the demonstration.  A member of the PS youth 
movement told Embassy that Mane is "violent and excessively 
militant."  As for Ms. Dieng's arrest, he speculated that as she is 
the right arm of Barthelemy Dias, the architect of the 
demonstration, her arrest served as a blackmailing chip to rein in 
the volatile Dias. 
 
The ruling party has got the message 
------------------------------------ 
¶4.  (SBU) Wade seems to have understood that he has to win the 
public opinion battle.  His government has begun a communications 
campaign touting achievements in education, health, and 
infrastructure while he takes on the task of vilifying his 
opponents.  At a huge political meeting just before the opposition's 
demonstration, he took swipes at all the leading opposition leaders 
calling them incompetent and questioning their suitability to be 
President. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶5.  (SBU)  As evidenced by this weekend's less than stellar turnout, 
the Senegalese opposition remains atomized and weak, thus limiting 
its push for a hardening of the tone against Wade's government. 
Wade is deftly maneuvering through this delicate social quagmire and 
may yet succeed provided that the food situation does not 
deteriorate further and he maintains what seems to be a new move to 
allow dissent and a respect for public liberties. 
SMITH