This tweet with over 3.9 million views, claims to show a video of a Senegalese minister allegedly being attacked along a street in France, supposedly for poor governance in Senegal.
Background
Senegal is about seven months away from its general elections. Macky Sall has been the country’s president since 2012. There has been opposition unrest, with fear that President Macky would possibly run for a third term.
On June 1, 2023, Ousmane Sonko, Senegal’s opposition leader was sentenced to a two-year jail sentence over rape accusations. This, according to an article published by Al Jazeera, puts Sonko’s candidacy in jeopardy.
Verification
A search; ‘Senegalese minister beaten’ on Google shows that this was in fact a Mauritanian poet. According to this article, Demba Ndiaye, alias Ndillaan, was attacked by members claiming to be part of the ‘Anti-Third Term Brigade.’
Another article debunking the claims attached to this video reveals that Ndillaan was attacked for expressing support for President Macky. See screengrab below;
Verdict
Claims that the video shows a Senegalese minister being attacked in France are FALSE.
This fact-check was edited by Piga Firimbi Fact-Checking Editor Linda Ngari.
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