Clashes in Senegal leave at least 9 dead; government bans use of social media platforms

Senegal's government says that at least nine people have been killed in violent clashes between police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. The deaths occurred mainly in the capital Dakar and Ziguinchor in the south where Sonko is mayor. Some social media sites used by demonstrators to incite violence have been suspended. Sonko was convicted Thursday of corrupting youth but acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her. The court sentenced Sonko to two years in prison. He didn't attend his trial in Dakar and was judged in absentia.