Clashes between Senegal’s police and supporters of opposition leader leave one dead, others hurt

By BABACAR DIONE
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Clashes between police and supporters of the opposition leader in Senegal have left one person dead and several injured, friends of the victim told The Associated Press. Clashes erupted Friday as opposition leader Ousmane Sonko called on his supporters to follow him in a “freedom caravan” from his hometown of Ziguinchor, in the south and where he is the mayor, to the capital, Dakar — some 750 kilometers (466 miles) away — where a verdict is expected next week on the charges of rape that he is facing. He and his supporters maintain his legal troubles are part of an effort by President Macky Sall’s government to derail his candidacy in the 2024 elections.