2 killed in Senegal after protests against arrest of opposition leader
DAKAR, Senegal – Two people have been killed in protests against the arrest of an opposition leader in Senegal.
The Senegalese government has announced blocking access to cell phones and the Internet following the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
The government also dissolved Sonko’s party, the Patriots of Senegal (PASTEF), for inciting violence.
Sonko faces charges including incitement to riot and criminal association.
Protesters took to the streets Monday as Sonko was taken into custody.
It is the first time a political party has been banned in the West African country since it gained independence from France in 1960.
Sonko, 48, a former tax inspector, faces a series of legal problems that he claims are designed to keep him from running for president in 2024.
In June, the government suspended mobile phone data access for about 48 hours following protests over the sentencing of Sonko.
Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison in June for “corrupting youth,” which jeopardizes his presidential ambition.
His sentencing triggered violent protests in Senegal’s capital Dakar and other towns in which 16 people died and more than 350 others were injured.
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