In the protests that were staged after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison in Senegal, the death toll rose to fifteen. The protesters looted two fuel stations and set fire to a supermarket in Quakam and Ngor districts in the capital, Dakar.
Ousmane Sonko was acquitted of rape and making death threats against a woman working in a massage parlor and sentenced to two years in prison for immoral behavior towards minors under the age of 21. While Sonko did not attend the hearing, his lawyer announced that a search warrant had not yet been issued for his arrest. After the court decision was announced, Sonko’s party, PASTEF, called for people to take to the streets across the country. Opposition supporters claim that Sonko was sentenced to prison in order to prevent him from running for the election in 2024.