Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – The legislative campaign in Senegal is intensifying as Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko confronts journalist and legislative candidate Madiambal Diagne, along with Anta Babacar Ngom, leader of the Alternative Movement for the Next Generation of Citizens (ARC), through legal action amid allegations of campaign-related aggression.

These developments come just weeks before the highly contested legislative elections, with both Sonko and opposition figures ramping up rhetoric and actions.

Sonko has formally filed a complaint against Diagne, an influential journalist and press executive who recently joined the opposition Jamm ak Njariñ coalition led by Amadou Bâ. Sonko’s accusations focus on Diagne’s “repeated attacks” and comments, labeling him a “liar.”

Diagne, who heads the media group Avenir Communication, fired back, calling the complaint an attempt by Sonko to “neutralize him” and stifle his voice during the campaign. “Sonko should be prepared to receive blows if he’s throwing them,” Diagne reportedly told the Senegalese media, making it clear he intends to defend his right to campaign unimpeded.

Diagne has taken his counteraction a step further by writing to the prosecutor, aiming to present his perspective on what he deems an abuse of legal procedures for political suppression.

Amid this escalating dispute, Pastef, Sonko’s party, issued a complaint against Anta Babacar Ngom through lawyer Me Abdy Ndiaye, accusing her and others of inciting the destruction of property, willful assault, and violence during campaign stops in Mbacké.

The complaint claims that Ngom’s supporters were responsible for damaging property and causing injury to Pastef members, with party representatives holding her accountable for “the violence that erupted.”

Adding to the tension, Anta Babacar Ngom of the ARC party has also filed a complaint against Sonko, accusing him and a Pastef leader in Diourbel of instigating violent attacks on her campaign convoy. Ngom, who is aligned with the Samm Sa Kaddu coalition under Barthélémy Dias, reported that her supporters faced “unprovoked and cowardly” assaults on November 5th in Diourbel, allegedly incited by Sonko’s supporters who chanted slogans endorsing the prime minister.

These incidents, she claims, also included an earlier assault on her coalition’s representatives in Ndoulo. Reaffirming her party’s commitment to democratic values, Ngom stated, “ARC will not bow to intimidation or attempts to silence us.”

The Samm Sa Kaddu coalition condemned the legal suit against Ngom, calling Pastef’s accusations “false and unfounded.” In a statement, the coalition insisted that Pastef has a record of “political violence, provocation, and threats,” pointing to alleged attacks on their national headquarters, convoy assaults, and a series of threats involving knives and other weapons aimed at Samm Sa Kaddu members and facilities.

The coalition declared unwavering support for Ngom and warned of what it described as a targeted effort by Sonko’s supporters to suppress opposing voices.

“Samm Sa Kaddu stands in full solidarity with President Anta Babacar Ngom,” read the coalition’s statement, urging national and international observers to pay attention to the pattern of intimidation they attribute to the current administration.

With Senegal’s political tensions escalating, all eyes are now on the elections scheduled for November 17, with opposition parties asserting they will not yield to any form of pressure or intimidation as they push toward their goal of electoral success.