Senegal opposition leader’s rape trial resumes amid fears of unrest
THE delayed rape trial of Senegal's opposition leader Ousmane Sonko resumed in his absence in the capital Dakar as defence lawyers withdrew from the case and his party called for public protest. Security forces patrolled crossroads and enforced a temporary ban on motorcycles as authorities feared another round of protests that have flared sporadically since Sonko was first detained over the case in 2021. Sonko, 48, is accused of sexually assaulting and making death threats to a woman who worked in a massage parlour. A conviction could quash his intentions to run again for president in elections next year. That…