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On December 8, 2022, the Supreme Court of Senegal invalidated the renaming of certain streets in Ziguinchor that bore the surnames of French personalities. It was an emblematic measure of the new mayor of the city, Ousmane Sonko, one of the main Senegalese opponents. He challenges this decision.
With our correspondent in Dakar, Juliet Dubois
« The avenues of Tirailleur-africain, Thiaroye-44 and Peace remain decolonized and keep their new names is what Ousmane Sonko asserts in a series of tweets this Friday, December 9. For the Senegalese opponent, the cancellation of the change of street names by the Supreme Court announced a day earlier was not done in the rules.
According to a certain press, the Municipal Council of Ziguinchor would have been dismissed by the Supreme Court following an appeal by the prefect, once morest its decision dating back more than 9 months to rename four streets of the city. pic.twitter.com/NVUGyqC10f
— Ousmane Sonko (@SonkoOfficiel) December 9, 2022
Too late
According to him, this decision comes too late, the time limit for appeal to annul a decision taken by a municipal council is two months according to the General Code of Local Authorities. He also claims not to have been notified of the prefect’s referral. As a reminder, the change of street names was an emblematic gesture of Ousmane Sonko when he arrived at the town hall of Ziguinchor in February to break with the French colonial heritage.
He felt that street names offended the dignity of Senegalese. Five streets of the city are concerned, as well, for example, the avenue du Capitaine-Javelier which was renamed avenue du Tirailleur-africain in tribute to the African soldiers who fought for France during the two world wars.
Appeal
The former prefect of Ziguinchor had appealed to the Senegalese Supreme Court to challenge the change of names. For the prefecture, this decision was the responsibility of the Senegalese State. Ousmane Sonko announces that he will contest this decision which he describes as illegal as soon as it is notified to him.
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