Di conviction of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on Thursday leave di kontri inside katakata as di kontri pipo kontinu violent protests throughout di weekend.

One court for Senegal bin find Sonko guilty on charges of "corrupting" a young woman, accuse wey im say dey politically motivated.

Di two year sentence wey court sama am provoke Sonko supporters wey dey fear say e go disqualify am from running in next February presidential election.

Di goment and justice system deny am.

Sonko supporters stone riot police plus burn buses. At least 16 pipo don die and hundreds more injure for clashes wit security forces.

Court acquit am on charges of raping one woman wey bin dey work for one massage parlour and threaten to kill her.

Social media suspended

Senegal goment restrict several social media and messaging platforms late on Thursday.

Dis move according to NetBlocks internet observatory, dey “likely to significantly affect di public ability to communicate.”

Similar shutdowns bin occur during widespread protests for 2021, im tok.

Di goment cut di internet for some parts of di kontri to prevent pipo from posting wetin e describe as “hateful and subversive” messages online.

"Becos of di spread of hateful and subversive messages ... mobile Internet dey temporarily suspended at certain hours of di day," goment bin tok for one statement.

Although di goment limit access to some social media platforms, many pipo bin still dey able to bypass di blockade by using Virtual Private Networks VPN, to cover dia location.

On Sunday, e extend di blockage to include all data on mobile internet devices for certain areas and during some kain time, goment tok for statement.

But e no specify which areas dey affected or which times e dey dey affect.

However, area pipo for Dakar say dem bin no dey able to access internet on Sunday afternoon, dat time of di day wey di protest don begin gada momentum.

Internet cuts to suppress opposition dey common for Africa and don dey occur since di 2011 Arab Spring wen rulers for Egypt, Tunisia and Libya try to control di spread of information.

Since den Gabon, Gambia, Democratic Republic of Congo and odas bin do di same tin during times of instability.

Wetin cause protest?

Sonko PASTEF party say di court decision na part of political plan and dem call di citizens for one statement to “stop all activity and enta street.”

Di case don cause violent protests for di West African kontri since 2021, as pipo dey dey more and more frustrated wit President Macky Sall.

Critics say Sall, wey don dey office since 2012, don fail to create jobs plus silent opposition voice.

Rumours too dey fly upanda say im dey try to bypass presidential term limits and run again next year.

Sonko bin come third position for Senegal 2019 presidential election and im popular well well wit di kontri youth.

Pipo dey see am as President Macky Sall main competition and don tell Sall to tok for public say im no go run third term for office.

Wetin happun afta di verdict?

Afta Thursday court decision, pipo enta road do we-no-go-gree.

Di protesters clash wit police, burn buses for di kontri capital Dakar and reports say kasala also burst for oda parts of di kontri, including di city of Ziguinchor, wia Sonko bin be mayor since 2022.

Thick black smoke full di air for di central university campus for Dakar, wia protesters burn several buses for afternoon and stone riot police wit rock and di police respond by firing tear gas.

One pesin wey dey live for Dakar, Seyni Senghor, tell tori pipo Al Jazeera reporter, Nicolas Haque, say im no want “notin to do wit politics”.

“I want notin to do wit politicians, I just be labourer wey dey work for one private company since 2017,” im tok. “I neva ever witness dis kain violence, I dey shocked to see di police behave like dis.”

Wen Haque ask am if im dey scared, im say: “Yes I dey scared, I dey so scared.” As im bin dey speak, one policeman wey wear mask arrest am carry am enta police van.

Sonko fit still run for president for 2024?

Sonko initial arrest on rape charges for 2021 bin cause several days of violent clashes wey kill at least 12 pipo.

“Ousmane Sonko candidacy dey in jeopardy,” Djiby Diagne, one of im lawyers, tell Reuters news agency.

Citing Senegal electoral law, one second lawyer, Bamba Cisse, say “wit dis sentence Sonko no go fit be candidate”.

“Di conviction for corruption of youth stop im eligibility becos dem sentence am in absentia, so we no fit appeal,” im add.

Who be Ousmane Sonko?

Ousmane Sonko na Senegal opposition leader, and founder of di party PASTEF.

Im na also di current mayor of Zinguinchor, for di south of Senegal.

Im base im political ideas or ideology on wetin we fit call radical opposition to wetin im call "di system."

Dem sabi am well for im agenda wey dey in di interest of majority and im disapproval of goment.

For interview wey im do wit BBC for 2018, im say Thomas Sankara na im model for politics and Rwanda President Paul Kagame im model for governance.

For Senegal, im dey usually refer to Mamadou Dia - di Senegal Council president from 1960 to 1962 (im equivalent today go be prime minister) - and di ogbonge Senegal intellectual Cheikh Anta Diop.

Inspector of Taxes and Domains, Ousmane Sonko bin create di Syndicat Autonome des Agents des Impôts et Domaines (SAID) for 2004 and im serve as di first general secretary.

Na during dis period im begin criticize goment and accuse di kontri of fiscal and budget anomalies.

President Macky Sall bin dismiss am as tax inspector for 2016 on allegation say im fail to respect im duty of reserve afta e attack Macky Sall goment.

Im bin be di youngest candidate to run for di 2019 presidential election against Macky Sall, wia im come third.