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Senegal riots: Govt cuts mobile internet access

Senegal riots: Govt cuts mobile internet access

SENEGAL'S government has cut access to mobile internet services in certain areas because of deadly rioting in which "hateful and subversive" messages have been posted online, it said in a statement on Sunday. The West African country has been rocked by three days of violent protests in which 16 people have died, one of its deadliest bouts of civil unrest in decades. Last week, the government limited access to certain messaging platforms, but many people were able to bypass the outage with the use of virtual private networks that mask the location of the user. It extended the outage on Sunday to…
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Senegal riots: Govt cuts mobile access

Senegal riots: Govt cuts mobile access

SENEGAL'S government has cut access to mobile internet services in certain areas because of deadly rioting in which "hateful and subversive" messages have been posted online, it said in a statement on Sunday. The West African country has been rocked by three days of violent protests in which 16 people have died, one of its deadliest bouts of civil unrest in decades. Last week, the government limited access to certain messaging platforms, but many people were able to bypass the outage with the use of virtual private networks that mask the location of the user. It extended the outage on Sunday to…
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Fresh protests rock Senegal as death toll climbs

Fresh protests rock Senegal as death toll climbs

FRESH clashes broke out between opposition supporters and Senegalese police in parts of the capital Dakar, the third day of protests in the West African nation sparked by the prosecution of an opposition leader. Protesters took to the streets in the evening, setting up barricades and burning rubbish in the HLM district. Police there and in the Ngor residential neighbourhood fired tear gas in an effort to disperse angry crowds. Gas stations and a supermarket were looted overnight and several districts were strewn with rubble and burned tyres. "The police couldn't do anything... The police had to leave after several…
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Senegal deploys army as Dakar braces for more unrest

Senegal deploys army as Dakar braces for more unrest

ARMY troops were deployed to parts of the Senegalese capital Dakar as the city braced for more unrest after a jail sentence for opposition leader Ousmane Sonko sparked one of the deadliest days of violence in the country's recent memory. Nine people were killed in clashes between riot police and Sonko supporters on Thursday after he was sentenced to two years for corrupting youth. The opposition says the verdict, which could prevent Sonko from running in elections next year, was politically motivated. Security forces patrolled streets, which were quiet on Friday but strewn with burned cars, rocks and broken glass and lined…
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Senegal presidential aspirant Sonko sentenced to prison, sparking protests

Senegal presidential aspirant Sonko sentenced to prison, sparking protests

FRESH unrest hit Senegal's capital Dakar after a court sentenced a leading opposition politician, Ousmane Sonko, to two years in jail for corrupting the youth, undermining his chances of running for president next year. Sonko, 48, was accused of raping a woman who worked in a massage parlour in 2021, when she was 20, and making death threats against her. He denies wrongdoing and says the charges are politically motivated. A criminal court cleared Sonko of rape but found him guilty of a separate offence described in the penal code as immoral behaviour towards individuals younger than 21. This could…
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Senegal unrest flares again over opposition leader

Senegal unrest flares again over opposition leader

DOZENS of protesters clashed with security forces in Senegal's capital, Dakar, after lawmakers and supporters were blocked from visiting the home of a prominent opposition politician on trial for rape and libel. Police fired tear gas on demonstrators who built makeshift barricades along one of Dakar's main highways and in one neighbourhood set cars and a ministerial building on fire. It is the latest round in months of unrest triggered by President Macky Sall's refusal to rule out running for a third term in office and by court cases involving a leading rival, Ousmane Sonko, who denies wrongdoing and says…
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Rape trial of Senegalese opposition leader Sonko starts

Rape trial of Senegalese opposition leader Sonko starts

THE rape trial of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko started in a court in the capital Dakar, following violent protests by supporters who say it is a political plot. Sonko is accused of sexually assaulting and making death threats to a woman who worked in a massage parlour in 2021. He has denied the charges, saying they are a scheme by President Macky Sall to disqualify him from the 2024 presidential election. Sall denies this. Sonko was not in court when the trial started around 1000 GMT. His alleged victim appeared with her lawyers. A judge opened the case before…
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Senegalese entrepreneur creates first locally made surfboards

Senegalese entrepreneur creates first locally made surfboards

NGOUDA DIONE IN a small beachside shack in Senegal's capital Dakar, Pape Diouf spends hours on each surfboard he makes, shaping its foam surface with an electric planer to create the perfect curve. Diouf, 27, is the first surfboard maker in the West African country, which has attracted surfers from around the world for decades due to Dakar's position on a spit of land that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, creating world-class waves. The surf scene is dominated by locals, many of whom surf on old boards donated or passed down from older surfers. But Diouf, who is also…
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Isabelle Sambou, the female wrestler defying gender norms in Senegal

Isabelle Sambou, the female wrestler defying gender norms in Senegal

MARIA KNODT, BIRD STORY AGENCY IN one of the training rooms at the lower level of the Senegal National Arena in Dakar, four men are warming up. They are waiting for their coach, who will train them in freestyle wrestling techniques. Moments later, 42-year-old Isabelle Sambou walks in. Standing just 152 centimetres (five feet) tall, Isabelle Sambou is a nine-time African Wrestling Championship gold medalist. And in 2015, she was crowned African Wrestler of the Decade by the World Wrestling Association. "She is the best and so humble. We come from far away to learn from her," said Demba Seck,…
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Senegal holds first military parade in four years amid political tensions

Senegal holds first military parade in four years amid political tensions

THOUSANDS of Senegalese took to the streets to celebrate the country's Independence Day, in a show of patriotism just a week after political tensions led to violent clashes between security forces and opposition supporters. People lined the streets of the capital Dakar to watch the first military parade to be held in the city in four years following a break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "It's the first time I've attended," said Daouda Tall, a student at the University of Dakar as soldiers clapped and sang and tanks drove down a central boulevard. "It's really moving. When you see this, you are…
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