Clashes in Senegal kill at least 9; government bans social media platforms and closes university

By BABACAR DIONE and SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s government says at least nine people have been killed in violent clashes between police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. The deaths occurred mainly in the capital, Dakar, and the city of Ziguinchor in the south, where Sonko is mayor. On Friday, the government deployed the military to parts of the city as the clashes continued. Some social media sites used by demonstrators to incite violence have been suspended. Sonko was convicted Thursday of corrupting youth but acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her. The court sentenced him to two years in prison. He didn’t attend his trial in Dakar and was judged in absentia.