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Added on the 13/04/2021 09:49:45 - Copyright : Sudinfo
In Senegal, tension is gradually easing in Dakar after 72 hours of violence following the sentencing of opposition politician Ousmane Sonko to two years behind bars. FRANCE 24's Sam Bradpiece reports from Dakar.
Senegal's director of public security tells journalists that "500 individuals have been arrested" after clashes which left at least 16 people dead and more than 350 demonstrators injured in Senegal. In Dakar, tension is gradually easing after 72 hours of violence following the sentencing of opposition politician Ousmane Sonko to two years behind bars.
Supporters of Senegal's firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko condemned police brutality on Sunday after clashes over his recent court conviction left at least 16 people dead and more than 350 demonstrators injured. The government, meanwhile, has accused Sonko's supporters of "vandalism and banditry" during the demonstrations.
Night-time aerial images show fires burning on roads in the Ngor district of Dakar, the Senegalese capital. The fires were set by demonstrators on a second day of protests in Senegal after opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, was sentenced to two years in prison for "corrupting youth". The United Nations and African Union have both called for calm after an outbreak of deadly violence in the west African country which has seen at least 10 people killed and prompted authorities to deploy the army.
Clashes between police and supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko left nine people dead, the government said Friday, with authorities issuing a blanket ban on the use of several social media platforms in the aftermath of the violence.