Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was charged on Saturday with making statements that fueled deadly protests following his conviction on a separate matter.
(Bloomberg) — Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was charged on Saturday with making statements that fueled deadly protests following his conviction on a separate matter.
The government accused Sonko, 48, with plotting an insurrection due to statements he made in public and on social media, Senegal’s public prosecutor Karim Abdou Diouf told reporters in the capital, Dakar. He was also charged with criminal conspiracy and theft, among other crimes.
“Sonko was detained for theft, but in reality it was the trigger for his arrest that was imminent,” Diouf said.
Sonko, a former tax inspector, was arrested in 2021 for allegedly raping and making death threats against a massage parlor employee. Last month he was acquitted of the rape charge but convicted of morally corrupting a youth. While Sonko was subsequently released, he was sentenced to two years of imprisonment. The verdict would disqualify him from the 2024 election.
At least 23 people were killed in clashes between police and protesters following the court’s decision, according to Amnesty International. On Saturday, Diouf showed videos of Sonko urging his supporters “to mobilize,” which sparked the protests, according to Diouf.
Sonko poses the biggest threat to Senegalese President Macky Sall’s ruling coalition in the 2024 presidential elections. Sall said July 3 he won’t seek a third term next year.
The opposition leader was detained Friday after grabbing a phone from a police officer whose car had broken down outside Sonko’s home, according to the public prosecutor. Sonko said in a post on his official Facebook page that the officer had been filming him.
Sporadic protests broke out in central Dakar late Friday.
Read (June 2): Clashes After Senegal Opposition-Chief Verdict Leave Nine Dead
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