This time it is in a completely official way that Juan Branco comes to Dakar. Three and a half months after making a surprise appearance in the Senegalese capital, the Franco-Spanish lawyer of the main Senegalese opponent Ousmane Sonko is due to arrive on the night of Thursday November 16 to Friday November 17 at Blaise-Diagne airport. According to relatives, he will land around 1 a.m. local time, a few hours before a Supreme Court hearing on the fate of his client, convicted in May for defamation, in June for "corruption of youth » and charged with calling for insurrection.
“I have been summoned by the President of the Supreme Court of Senegal to a hearing, this Friday, November 17, 2023, which will determine the possibility for Mr. Ousmane Sonko to run in the presidential election of February 2024. Mr. Sonko is the main opponent of the power in place and of Françafrique,” wrote Juan Branco in a long message published on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday evening.
The highest Senegalese court must make a crucial decision for Ousmane Sonko in view of the presidential election of February 25, 2024. It must decide between the State, which removed the opponent from the electoral lists, and the Ziguinchor court, which ordered his reinstatement. Mr. Sonko's candidacy for the supreme office therefore depends on the Court's decision.
Already turned away, then expelled
However, the arrival of Juan Branco remains uncertain while relations between Senegal and the lawyer are extremely tense. The latter was first expelled from Senegalese territory in March 2023 upon his arrival at Dakar airport, when he was to take part in a trial during which Ousmane Sonko was accused of defamation by the Minister of Tourism. Then, in July, the State requested an international arrest warrant against the lawyer, whom it accused of “crimes and misdemeanors” in connection with the riots that occurred after his client was sentenced to two years in prison, in June.
After this repression which left twenty-three dead according to Amnesty International, the lawyer filed a complaint in France and requested an investigation at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against Senegalese President Macky Sall for “crimes against humanity.”
At the end of July, Juan Branco ignored the arrest warrant issued by Senegal by entering Dakar clandestinely. He had achieved a coup by inviting himself to a press conference of his Senegalese colleagues who defend Ousmane Sonko. Actively sought after, he was finally arrested on August 5 and then placed in detention by the Senegalese authorities while he tried to discreetly leave Senegal via the border with Mauritania. The judge had charged him with several counts, including “attack”, “conspiracy”, “acts and maneuvers likely to compromise public security or cause serious political unrest” and “illegal stay”.
Juan Branco was finally released under judicial supervision and quickly expelled from the territory on August 7. His announced return to Dakar only adds uncertainty to a day that promises to be tense. The opposition is calling for demonstrations on Friday afternoon to support Ousmane Sonko and demand his participation in the presidential election of February 2024.
