Police fire tear gas at banned Senegal protest

Senegalese riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets Wednesday to disperse protesters trying to hold a banned march against President Abdoulaye Wade's bid for a third term in office in an election later this month. Scores of police pushed back groups of opposition protesters who attempted to converge in the suburb of Medina, later firing tear gas as they tried to begin the march to Independence Square in the heart of the city led by presidential candidate Ibrahima Fall. At the square itself candidate Bamba Dieye rallied a small crowd of people, which grew to several hundred shouting slogans against the 85-year-old Wade as riot police blocked off the road to the nearby presidential palace. Someone had spraypainted "Wade Degage" (Get Out Wade) and other graffiti on the street circling the square. Police again fired teargas and sprayed protesters with water about half an hour later as they regrouped. Perched on the roof of a 4X4, Dieye and Fall denounced "the violation of their constitutional rights." As calm and traffic returned to the square, music superstar Youssou Ndour made an appearance. Senegal's most famous export, the singer has remained at the head of the anti-Wade campaign after his own bid to run in the election was thwarted by the constitutional council. "Senegal needs to free itself, to rediscover its democracy ... We are allowing a dictatorship to set in here," he said, as dozens of fans clamoured around holding up cellphones and cameras. With less than two weeks until the February 26 election, the government has blocked the opposition from protesting, and police on Tuesday blocked youths from settling in another square in Dakar where they planned a permanent sit-in. Interior Minister Ousmane Ngom told the opposition in a statement: "I inform you that the demonstrations that you are planning cannot happen at the foreseen date and place." In the message to leaders of the June 23 Movement (M23) which was seen by AFP, the minister warned: "The administration will fulfill all of its responsibilities to ensure the safety of people and property." Before the ban was announced, M23 coordinator Alioune Tine declared: "We are going to hold our march tomorrow, nobody can stop us. We condemn the Senegalese administration's biased attitude. At this rate, it will end up being responsible for violence." On January 27, when the country's highest court validated Wade's candidacy for a third term which the opposition says is unconstitutional, violent protests erupted in Dakar and spread through the country, leaving four people dead. M23, which includes several presidential candidates, have vowed a united front as it pressures Wade to step aside. However their campaign had appeared to lose some of its momentum since individual vote lobbying began on February 5. Wade, Africa's second oldest leader after Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, argues that changes to the constitution in 2008 mean he can serve two more mandates. Despite national anger and criticism from abroad, Wade has remained defiant, campaigning energetically throughout the country and promising development and ambitious programmes. Wade is facing 13 opposition candidates, including two of his former prime ministers and the leader of the opposition Socialist Party, Ousmane Tanor Dieng. Wade was first elected in 2000 after 25 years in opposition. But initial euphoria over his election has given way to fatigue over corruption, electricity cuts, rising fuel and food prices while Wade focuses on big legacy construction projects. He is also accused of trying to groom his son Karim Wade as his successor. The European Union observer mission on Wednesday called in a statement for "more transparency" in the delivery of voters' cards, urging government to properly inform citizens of the procedures involved. Some five million people have registered to vote.