UN chief urges calm in Senegal amid violent clashes -spokesperson

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the violence in Senegal and urges restraint, his spokesperson said on Friday as the capital braced for more unrest after the sentencing of an opposition leader.

Guterres "strongly condemns the use of violence, calls for calm and urges all stakeholders to exercise restraint," UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters. He offered condolences to those whose loved ones have been killed in the clashes in the West African nation.

Protests erupted after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in jail on Thursday for corrupting youth. The verdict, which his supporters said was politically motivated, could prevent him from running in next year's elections.

Nine people were killed in clashes between riot police and Sonko supporters on Thursday.

Army troops were deployed to parts of the Senegalese capital Dakar on Friday as the city braced for more unrest after one of the deadliest days of violence in the country's recent memory.