Police Officer Killed In Senegal Clashes Ahead Of Opposition’s Trial

A police Officer Killed In Senegal Clashes Ahead Of Opposition’s Trialecurity forces and supporters of opposition leader Sonko in the southern town of Ziguinchor, authorities said.

The clashes occurred on Monday near Mr Sonko’s home, where he has been staying while vowing to defy any summons to appear in court for a rape trial.

Supporters have surrounded his home since last week, fearing police would move to arrest him and bring him to court.

A statement from the Senegalese interior ministry said the police officer was “accidentally hit by a vehicle”, during the Monday violence.

Reports say security has been tightened in the capital Dakar ahead of the resumption of Mr Sonko’s rape trial on Tuesday. He was charged based on a woman’s accusations that he assaulted her when she worked at a massage salon two years ago.

Mr Sonko and his allies deny the charges and say they are a ploy to bar him from contesting the 2024 presidential election.

He was handed a six-month suspended sentence on 8 May for defaming Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang in a review of the initial two-month term.

BBC/Jide Johnson.