DAKAR, Senegal – Officials in Senegal have ordered the cancellation of a rally planned to welcome back former President Abdoulaye Wade who was voted out of office two years ago after violent protests.
Demonstrations ahead of the 2012 election paralyzed Senegal's capital of Dakar for weeks as protesters demanded Wade step down and not pursue a third term. In the end, President Macky Sall trounced Wade in a runoff, and Wade accepted defeat and withdrew abroad.
But in an interview this week in French newspaper Le Monde, the 87-year-old said he needed to return to Senegal because of widespread discontent.
He is expected to arrive Wednesday and his party planned to hold a rally. But authorities in Dakar canceled it Tuesday night, citing concerns it would disturb traffic and could create unrest.
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