"In Senegal, due to the tense internal political situation in the country (yesterday opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison), mass protests by violent young people are likely to take place throughout the country. According to the Senegalese government, nine people were killed and many wounded in yesterday's protests. In this context, the embassy strongly recommends that Russian citizens refrain from visiting Senegal in the near future, and that citizens living in the country should not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary and avoid places of mass gatherings," the embassy said in a statement.
On Friday, Senegalese Interior Minister Antoine Diome said nine people were killed in Senegal in clashes that erupted after Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison.
A Dakar court on Thursday found Sonko guilty of "corrupting young people." The complaint against the politician was filed by a former employee of a beauty parlor where he received massages. However, Sonko was acquitted of charges of rape and death threats. The trial was held in absentia, and it was up to the prosecutor to decide whether to arrest the politician.
The court's decision jeopardizes Sonko's right to run in next year's presidential election under the country's constitution, local media reported.