Police in Senegal said 500 arrests were reportedly made after clashes left at least 16 people dead and more than 350 injured among protesters.

The seriousness of violence has raged since the conviction by a Dakar court of the Senegalese opponent, Oussmane Sonko, President Macky Sall’s main rival.

Mr. Ousmane Sonko, is sentenced to two years in prison for « corruption of youth ». The country experienced one of its worst days of protest in years on Thursday, According to the Interior Ministry.

On this day, in clashes between supporters of the opponent and the security forces, nine people were killed. Witnesses also speak of carcasses of burnt cars and ransacked public buildings.

Students at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, which was the scene of protracted clashes and extensive destruction, were also ordered to leave.

In view of the electoral code, the conviction could lead to the ineligibility of Ousmane Sonko, for the presidential election.
For supporters of Ousmane Sonko it is « an illegal sentence! » and “The battle has only just begun”.

Police in Senegal said 500 arrests were reportedly made after clashes left at least 16 people dead and more than 350 injured among protesters.