(Politics): The Senegalese Opposition Leader Ousmane Sonko Arrested again

Leading Senegalese opposition politician Ousmane Sonko was arrested on Friday, July 28, 2023, members of his party and a senior security official told the media, although no precise reasons were given.

"Ousmane Sonko was arrested. There were armed police outside his house," said Ousseynou Ly, a spokesman for Sonko's PASTEF party.

Djibril Gueye Ndiaye, the firebrand politician's head of protocol, said the gendarmes (police) came and "took" him.

A senior security official confirmed that Sonko had been arrested but did not specify the reasons.

Sonko, a presidential opponent to the incumbent head of state Macky Sall, was sentenced in absentia in June to two years in prison for morally corrupting a young woman, a conviction that renders him ineligible to stand in next year's election.

The case sparked sporadic unrest that stretched over two years. They culminated in fatal clashes at the time of his conviction that left 16 dead according to the government, 24 according to Amnesty International, and 30 according to Sonko's party.

On July 24, a security detail that had confined Sonko to his Dakar home was lifted. It had been in place since May 28.

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