Deadly protests rock Senegal as opposition leader sentenced to jail
- Court sentenced firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to two years in jail
- The case has deeply divided Senegal, sparking sporadic but deadly violence
Nine people were killed in Senegal in clashes between riot police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko after a court sentenced him to two years in jail, casting serious doubt on his chances of running for president next year.
Sonko, 48, did not attend the hearing over an alleged sexual assault. The justice ministry said the opposition leader could be taken to prison at any time. Police remained stationed around his home Dakar as unrest flared in the capital and elsewhere after the verdict on Thursday.
Sonko was accused of raping a woman who worked in a massage parlour in 2021, when she was 20, and making death threats against her. He denies wrongdoing and says the charges are politically motivated.
A criminal court cleared Sonko of rape, but found him guilty of a separate offence described in the penal code as immoral behaviour towards individuals younger than 21.
“With this sentence Sonko cannot be a candidate,” said one of his lawyers, Bamba Ciss, citing Senegal’s electoral law.