Death toll surges as protests continue in SenegalFresh violent confrontations erupted between Senegalese opposition supporters and police in the capital Dakar, marking the third day of protests in the West African country.

According to the Senegalese police, the death toll since Thursday has grown to 15, making the protests among the most fatal in recent decades.

The Senegalese authorities say two members of the security forces were among those killed in the protest.

Gas stations and a supermarket were plundered overnight on Friday, and numerous neighbourhoods were littered with rubble and burned tyres.

According to Interior Minister Felix Abdoulaye Diome, a water plant was attacked by mobs. He also stated that about 500 people had been detained since the long-running protests started in 2021.

The sentence of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko in the two-year-old rape case on Thursday sparked the latest uprising.

His supporters alleged that the prosecution was politically motivated and regarded as part of efforts to stop him from running for the 2024 presidential election.

On Thursday, he was cleared of rape but found guilty in absentia of corrupting Senegalese youth and sentenced to two years in prison.

The court ruling could prevent him from running in the February presidential election. Mr. Sonko is yet to speak on the next line of action since he was sentenced.

Senegal is rated as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies. It has however seen occasional violent opposition demonstrations triggered by Sonko’s court case, as well as fears that President Macky Sall may try to circumvent a two-term restriction and run again in February. The President has not verified or refuted this.