Tension in Senegal is set to persist

The streets of Dakar, the capital of Senegal, usually mix the chatter of busy traders, the aroma of grilled meat and the occasional glimpse of the sparkling Atlantic Ocean. Yet recently smoke from burnt-out buses darkens the view, the stench of tear-gas stings the eyes and chatter has been replaced by the crash of rocks into riot shields, the thud of baton on flesh, and the boom of police weapons. Witnesses say security forces have used live ammunition. “We are living a nightmare,” says Alioune Tine of Afrikajom Centre, a think-tank in Dakar.