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Senegalese Interior Minister Antoine Diome confirmed on Friday that at least nine people were killed in clashes following the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to two years behind bars.

A conviction for "corrupting youth" may disqualify Sonko, President Macky Sall's fiercest opponent, from running for next year's presidential election.

"We have noted with regret violence that has led to the destruction of public and private property and, unfortunately, nine deaths in Dakar and Ziguinchor," Diome said on national television.

After Thursday's verdict, clashes broke out between police and protesters, buses were set alight in the capital Dakar, and disturbances were reported elsewhere including the city of Ziguinchor, where Sonko, the head of the PASTEF-Patriots party, has been mayor since 2022.

A former civil servant, Sonko gained momentum in the 2019 presidential elections, coming in third after his campaign that attacked Sall and the country's ruling elite.

His initial arrest on rape charges in 2021 sparked several days of clashes that left at least 12 people dead.

The 48-year-old was tried in absentia and was absent when the Dakar criminal court handed down its verdict. He was assumed to be at his home in Dakar, where he had been blocked in by security forces after being detained at the weekend.

The court did not rule on whether he should be arrested. However, Justice Minister Ismaila Madior Fall told journalists that Sonko could now be arrested "at any time."

After the verdict was handed down, Sonko's PASTEF-Patriots party called on the Senegalese people to "take to the streets."

Late Thursday, several social media and messaging platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, and YouTube were facing serious access restrictions.

"This situation resembles what was observed during the 2021 protests and is likely to significantly limit the public's ability to communicate," indicated Netblocks, a global internet monitor.

On Friday, Interior Minister Diome acknowledged the blockages, citing "the dissemination of hateful and subversive messages on social networks."

Attention has focused on whether, under the electoral code, Sonko's conviction will prevent him from contesting next year's vote.

"Ousmane Sonko's candidacy is in jeopardy," said Djiby Diagne, one of his lawyers.

"Corrupting youth" is defined as encouraging the "debauchery" of a young person under the age of 21. The court acquitted him on charges of rape and issuing death threats.

The complainant, Adji Sarr, a former employee of the beauty salon where Sonko used to get massages, said Sonko had abused her on five occasions between late 2020 and early 2021. She was under 21 back then.

Sonko has maintained his innocence and claims that Sall is manipulating the judiciary to jeopardize his political career -- a charge the government denies.

Ndeye Khady Ndiaye, the owner of the beauty salon, was also sentenced to two years in prison for incitement to debauchery but acquitted of complicity in rape.

She and Sonko must each pay a fine of 600,000 CFA francs ($980) and jointly pay 20 million CFA francs ($33,000) in damages to the complainant.

"We are satisfied of Sonko's guilt," El Hadji Diouf, Adji Sarr's lawyer, told reporters. However, 20 million CFA francs in damages is little for the suffering that Sarr has endured, he considered.

International, regional bodies call for calm in Senegal

In the same context, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence and "urged all those involved to... exercise restraint," a spokesperson said.

The African Union said its commission president, Moussa Faki Mahamat, strongly condemned the violence and urged leaders to avoid acts that "tarnish the face of Senegalese democracy, of which Africa has always been proud."

The Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called on all parties to "defend the country's laudable reputation as a bastion of peace and stability."

The European Union and Senegal's former colonial power France also expressed concern over the violence.

Amnesty International urged authorities to stop "arbitrary arrests" and lift restrictions on access to social networks. Similarly, the NGO Reporters Without Borders also called on authorities to fully restore internet access.

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