The Gambian civil society has in a statement called for calm in Senegal, while urging the security forces to "urgently de-escalate" the situation by abiding by the rule of law and restraining their use of force as they seek to maintain law and order.
The Gambian civil society also highlighted the norms Senegal and The Gambia share, citing that both have the same historical and sociocultural umbilical cord, and by geography are destined to live side by side.
"To this end we wish to recommend the following urgent actions to all concerned parties including President Macky Sall, Opposition leaders and Civil Society actors in Senegal, ECOWAS and AU in seeking solutions."
We call on both sides in Senegal to exercise restraint, sit down and hold dialogue.
Government to release all detained opposition figures, activists, journalists and protesters; and grant amnesty to all.
Government to Re-open all media outlets and ensure that freedom of expression and freedom of the media are protected.
All parties to refrain from doing anything, directly or indirectly that put undue pressure on the justice delivery institutions.
Responsible parties to do everything in their power to de-escalate the violent situation in the country in order to bring calm and peace.
Engage the key political figures including Mr. Ousmane Sonko in dialogue to seek reconciliation and unity of purpose in the interest of democracy and peace in Senegal.
We wish to call on Mr. Ousmane Sonko and other opposition political figures, parties, and movements in Senegal to urgently restrain their supporters and cease protests as a means to give peace a chance and encourage President Macky Sall and the Government to seize advantage of this rapprochement to embark on de-escalation, peace building and strengthening of democracy.
We urge the Senegalese Civil Society to remain steadfast and engage positively to ensure that all political leaders and security forces dialogue to find peace and uphold democracy.
We urge all Civil Society leaders and Organizations in West Africa especially West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF) to engage their counterparts in Senegal in ensuring that the Government of Senegal, ECOWAS, and the AU undertake urgent efforts to avert the collapse of democracy in Senegal which would have devastating effects across Africa.
Similarly, we wish to call on the leaders of ECOWAS and the African Union to realize and uphold their historic duties to the ECOWAS Treaty and the AU Constitutive Act and Charter, and to all sub regional and regional instruments that demand the prevalence of democracy and protection of human rights in Africa.
In this regard, we therefore recommend to both ECOWAS and AU to be proactive as follows:
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1. Dispatch a joint high-level mission led by the AU Chair Person, President Azali Assoumani
of Comoros and the ECOWAS Chair Person, President Umaro Embalo of Guinea Bissau to
visit Dakar to have urgent dialogue with President Macky Sall and the opposition leaders to remind them of their duty to uphold the law, defend and abide by democratic norms and standards and protect human rights as a means to ensure the peace and stability of Senegal, West Africa and the African continent as a whole.
2. Remind all opposition leaders to refrain from fueling adverse sentiments and rather seek to urge their supporters to maintain peace and order even when they protest.
In conclusion, the Gambian Civil Society will seek engagements with our Senegalese counterparts
in order to enable all of us to play our part effectively and fully in ensuring that democracy and peace prevail in Senegal.
In this regard we also call on the Gambia Government to actively engage their Senegalese counterparts to remind them of their sacred responsibility to the promotion and protection of democracy and maintenance of peace and stability.
