No fewer than 360 people were injured in the violence that erupted last week in Senegal after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison, says the country’s Red Cross.

At least 16 people have been killed in the repeated confrontations between demonstrators and security forces in Dakar, the capital, and Mr Sonko’s hometown.

Mr Sonko’s supporters argued that his conviction was politically motivated but authorities in the West African country have denied this.

Dakar, the capital and other regions were peaceful on Monday as the situation appeared calm.

The Senegalese government has restricted access to the mobile internet, to stop what it called “subversive messages” from being shared.

Government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana, while speaking with newsmen said the damage caused by months of demonstrations had cost the country millions of dollars. He stressed that the protesters posed a threat to Senegal’s democracy.

The confrontations began on Thursday, after Sonko was convicted of corrupting youth but acquitted of raping a massage parlor employee and issuing death threats against her.

Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison after failing to appear at his trial in Dakar. His lawyer stated that no arrest warrant had been issued for him.

The court ruling could prevent him from running for the 2024 presidential election.

Meanwhile, the international community has called on Senegal’s government to resolve the tensions in the country while rights groups have condemned the government crackdown which has included arbitrary arrests and restrictions on social media.