Senegalese female lawmaker shot in South Africa

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) - A female Senegalese parliamentarian was shot and wounded Thursday when she arrived in Johannesburg to attend a Pan African Parliament meeting in a suspected robbery incident, a diplomatic source told Anadolu Agency Monday.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the MP was being driven from the Tambo International Airport to a hotel along with three other lawmakers from Senegal when suspected robbers attacked them.

The South African parliament strongly condemned the incident in a statement, calling on law enforcement agencies to ensure the culprits were brought to book.

"On behalf of the parliament of South Africa, the speaker of the National Assembly and the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, [we] condemn these acts of violence against the public representatives of our sister parliaments," the statement said.

The injured parliamentarian, whose identity was not revealed, was shifted to a hospital in Johannesburg.

The lawmakers were deprived of their cash, passports and other valuables during the armed robbery.

Pan African Parliament President Roger Nkodo Dang had told Anadolu Agency in May that MPs arriving in the country did not have adequate security, making them vulnerable to robberies.

Dang said at the time robberies occurred at the beginning of each new parliamentary session.

Efforts to get a comment from the South African police remained futile.

Established in 2004, the Pan African Parliament is a legislative organ of the African Union, which aims to ensure full participation of the peoples of Africa and their grassroots organizations in governance and economic integration.

The Each African Union member state contributes five lawmakers to the continental parliament, which holds two plenary sessions in May and October, and two sittings of the Permanent Committees in March and August every year.