Nine people lost their lives on Thursday in Senegal in a clash between police and supporters of the opposition leader Ousmane Sonkoafter he was sentenced to two years in prison, due to which his candidacy for the presidency was called into question.
Sonko (48) did not attend the announcement of the verdict by which he was convicted for the alleged sexual assault. Police officers are stationed around his house in Dakar, and according to the Minister of Justice, he can be taken to prison at any time.
Riots across the capital and elsewhere broke out after the verdict was announced.
Accused of raping a woman and making death threats
The leader of the opposition was accused of raping a woman who worked in a massage parlor and making death threats. The criminal court acquitted him of those charges, but found him guilty of immoral behavior towards a person under 20 years of age.
“Because of that sentence, Sonko cannot be a candidate,” said one of his lawyers, pointing to Senegal’s electoral law. Sonko rejects the accusations, claiming they are politically motivated, and his political party PASTEF has called on citizens to take to the streets.
Nine people were killed during protests that broke out in Dakar and other cities after the verdict was announced, Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome said early Friday.
Protesters set fire to several buses on the university campus and threw stones at the police, who responded with tear gas. Government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana he said that the situation in the capital is under control.
