Supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko have called for three more days of protests starting Monday following violent demonstrations last week that threatened to erode the country's reputation as one of West Africa's most stable democracies.
Five people, including a schoolboy, have been killed in days of clashes sparked by the arrest, the worst violence in years in a country usually seen as a beacon of stability in a volatile region.
Sonko appeared before the court in Dakar on Monday to answer questions about a rape charge, which he said was politically motivated, and was then released under judicial supervision, his lawyer told FRANCE 24.
Schools in the capital have been ordered closed for a week, as the political opposition has called for three more days of protests beginning Monday.
The unrest has alarmed the United Nations and Senegal's neighbours, who have appealed for all sides to show restraint, and President Macky Sall -- yet to publicly address the situation -- is facing mounting pressure to speak out.
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