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| - Senegalese police fired tear gas to disperse stone-throwing protesters from a square in the capital Dakar on Monday, hours after the country's opposition leader was charged with rape. Thousands of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko's supporters converged on a central square in the city, hurling stones at riot police who fired back tear gas, AFP journalists reported. Protesters waved the green, yellow and red Senegalese flag and torched a car during the rally while denouncing the accusation against Sonko as politically motivated. Red Cross workers also carried off a protester who had been injured in the face, AFP journalists saw. Police later cleared demonstrators from the square. "We cannot allow (President) Macky Sall to flout democracy and imprison his opponents," said Rama Diop, a 30-year-old protester. "Ousmane Sonko represents only a hope for a better future," she added. Usually considered a beacon of stability in a volatile region, deadly clashes between opposition supporters and security forces have rocked the West African state since last week. At least five people have died in nationwide unrest sparked on Wednesday by the arrest of Sonko, a sharp-tongued government critic who is popular with young people. A court in Dakar freed Sonko from detention on Monday but also pressed charges in a rape case against him, which he says is politically motivated. Sall, who has yet to publically respond to the anger in the former French colony of 16 million people, is due to make a national address this evening. Sonko is also due to make a statement later. The opposition figure came third in 2019's presidential election and is considered a strong contender to replace Sall in 2024. But his political future was thrown into doubt last month after a beauty salon employee accused him of raping her. Sonko was arrested last week on charges of public disorder after scuffles between his supporters and security forces broke out while he was on his way to a court appearance related to the rape charge. To Senegal's political opposition, however, the case fits a perceived pattern of prosecutions of government opponents. lal-mrb/siu/eml/mjs
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