Upon his release, the 46-year-old politician blamed his arrest on President Macky Sall, accusing the incumbent leader of seeking to sideline his future political prospects before the country's 2024 election. While Sonko publicly accused the president of plunging Senegal into an unprecedented crisis, the opposition leader said his goal wasn't to force Sall from power. Throngs of boisterous supporters descended on the courthouse downtown waving Senegalese flags and then made their way to his residence next. Sonko also called Monday on the president to publicly renounce a third term in office. Karim Wade, the son of the president Sall defeated in 2012, was once widely seen as the heir apparent before he was charged with corruption the following year.

Source: ABC News March 08, 2021 10:11 UTC