Two private television stations have had their signal suspended in Senegal after they had been accused of focusing too much on protests. The BBC reports that the protests had been triggered by the arrest of an opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko. Senegal is entering its third day of nationwide demonstrations sparked by the detention of Sonko, one of the government’s loudest critics.

Sen TV and Walf TV channels are the two television stations affected by the decision taken by the National Audiovisual Regulatory Council. Internet access in Senegal has also been disrupted.

Sonko was arrested in Dakar on Wednesday following accusations that he had raped a woman at a salon where he went to get massages. Police and supporters of Mr Sonko clashed in Bignona town in the Casamance region of Senegal on Thursday. The BBC reports that authorities have confirmed that one person was killed in the violence. Sonko, meanwhile, has denied the charges. He says that the case is politically motivated, so that he will be unable to run in the next election. Sonko has alleged that President Macky Sall’s allies are behind the rape accusations.

Meanwhile, Senegal’s parliament had last week voted to strip Sonko’s immunity so that the rape trial could proceed.

Umm Muhammed Umar