Hunger Striking Senegal Opposition Leader Sonko in Intensive Care, Party Says

DAKAR (Reuters) – Senegal’s starvation placing opposition chief Ousmane Sonko was admitted to intensive care at a Dakar hospital after falling in poor health on Wednesday evening, his celebration mentioned in a press release on Thursday.

Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the assertion. Sonko’s celebration, Pastef, gave no particulars about his situation.

Sonko has been on a starvation strike since July 30 in protest in opposition to latest expenses in opposition to him which embody plotting an revolt, in addition to a two-year jail sentence he acquired in June referring to an alleged rape case. He denies wrongdoing.

His followers, who’ve held protests all year long which have typically led to lethal clashes with police, accuse President Macky Sall of attempting to disqualify Sonko from subsequent yr’s presidential election.

Sall’s authorities denies this and blames Sonko for stoking violence. The federal government dissolved his celebration final month.

The justice ministry mentioned it was not conscious of the scenario and declined to remark till it had extra data.

Final week, Justice Minister Ismaila Madior Fall instructed reporters that Sonko had been admitted to Dakar’s fundamental hospital the place he had undergone remedy and was doing higher.

(Reporting by Diadie Ba and Ngouda Dione; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Enhancing by Nellie Peyton and Nick Macfie)

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