Senegal: 15 dead and half a thousand arrests leave clashes for Ousmane Sonko

The tension subsided on Saturday in Senegal after two days of clashes between the police and supporters of the opposition Ousmane Sonko, sentenced to two years in prison, which left 15 dead and half a thousand arrests, the government said.

READ MORE | Senegal: Nine dead in clashes after conviction of opponent Ousmane Sonko

The day brought about some riots on the outskirts of Dakarbut several neighborhoods that experienced scenes of violence in the last two days calmed down, Interior Minister Antoine Diome said.

He also announced “around 500 arrests” made since the start of this protest movement. Among them, some were active in political parties, but most had no affiliation, he said.

Previously, a spokesman for his ministry, Maham Kahad told AFP that on Friday “six deaths were recorded, four of them in the Dakar region and two in the Ziguinchor region.”

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In the previous day, the clashes unleashed after the conviction of the opposition leader had left at least nine dead, Minister Diome had said.

The authorities of this western nation Africa They deployed the armed forces in Dakar, the capital, on Friday, the day after one of the most violent protests in the country in years.

ousmane sonkowho came third in the 2019 presidential elections, was sentenced Thursday by a criminal court to two years in prison for “corrupting” a young woman under 21 years of age.

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The court acquitted him, however, of the accusations of rape and death threats against this employee of a beauty salon where he was going to get massages between 2020 and 2021.

Sonko denies the charges, alleging that the government of current President Macky Sall is conspiring to keep him out of the next presidential election in 2024.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.