Senegal’s internet access restricted from Monday – minister

Senegal has restricted access to internet services from Monday due to the spread of “hateful messages” on social media, the communications minister said in a statement.

This comes after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was charged on Saturday with plotting an insurrection, criminal conspiracy and other offences.

Senegalese opposition leader Ouasmane Sonko speaks to journalists while his convoy stops on the way to his trial in Dakar on March 16, 2023. © Guy Peterson, AFP

His followers have been angered by the prospect that his conviction could bar him from standing in next year’s presidential election.

“Telephone operators are required to comply with the notified requirements,” communications minister Moussa Bocar Thiam said in a statement.