MOSCOW, August 7. /TASS/. The situation in Senegal is stable, as no riots have been staged following the hospitalization of recently arrested Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, the Russian Embassy to Senegal told TASS.

"The situation in the country is stable; there are no riots. Indeed, Sonko went on a hunger strike, as a result of which he was urgently hospitalized," the embassy said.

Earlier reports said that Sonko was sent to a hospital in Dakar because of his deteriorating physical condition. The opposition leader went on hunger strike on July 30 to protest against his arrest and, what he called unjust charges against him.

Situation in the country

Sonko was arrested on July 28. He faces charges of conspiring to mutiny, calling for rebellion, criminal conspiracy, and conspiracy against the state. The opposition leader is now in custody awaiting trial.

Authorities on July 31 dissolved the Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (Pastef) party, of which Sonko was the leader. Senegal's ministry of communication suspended mobile Internet service over concerns of possible unrest.

Sonko ran in the 2019 presidential election and came in third with 16% of the vote. He announced that he intended to run in the February 2024 election. However, on June 1, a court sentenced Sonko, 49, to two years in prison for "corrupting minors." The court's sentence makes him ineligible to run in the upcoming presidential election. Meanwhile, Senegal's incumbent President Macky Sall has announced he will not seek re-election.