Social tension has been running high in the capital, Dakar, since the start of the year. Two men set themselves on fire in front of the presidential palace, emulating the example of the Tunisian protestor whose self-immolation sparked protest and revolutions across North Africa. The first protestor, on February 18th, died, but the life of the second, a week later, was eventually saved. These two apparently isolated but unprecedented events reflect the climate of growing social tension in the country. Demonstrations, spontaneous barricades and the burning of tyres and cars in the streets are becoming common practice in parts of Dakar, and especially in its suburbs. One of the houses of the president's family in central Dakar was even stoned by a mob. Reasons for the protests are varied but include the growing frequency and duration of power cuts, rising living costs in the capital and the president's creative interpretation of the constitution. The worsening of power cuts everywhere comes despite insistent (but unfulfilled) government promises to redress the situation. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that some areas of the capital, notably poorer suburbs, are more severely affected than more affluent quarters. Local commentators wonder whether the examples set by spontaneous rebellions in North Africa may serve as an example for more serious mobilisations in Senegal, given that social conditions are not very different. Although this possibility cannot be dismissed absolutely if the situation worsens in the coming months, the Economist Intelligence Unit believes that such an outcome remains unlikely given the very different-ostensibly democratic and non-authoritarian-political context.