A Senegalese law enforcement officer has passed away following a confrontation with demonstrators who had assembled in response to the detention of an opposition leader.

According to a statement from the interior ministry and reports from the media, there were clashes between security forces and followers of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko in his hometown on Monday, resulting in the death of a police officer and injuries to several protesters.
Ziguinchor, a town located in the southern region of Senegal, experienced turmoil just one day prior to the scheduled commencement of Sonko's rape case in the nation's capital, Dakar.
Sonko faced charges after a woman accused him of assaulting her during her employment at a massage parlor.
Sonko could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in jail and would be ineligible to contest for the presidency if found guilty.
Senegalese prosecutors have lodged an appeal for the opposition leader who was sentenced to two months in prison. The incident leading to the sentence occurred when a police armored vehicle hit and fatally injured an officer while reversing, as per the local authorities.
The officer's family received condolences from the government, who referred to his death as a sorrowful mishap. There were confrontations close to Sonko's residence, where he has been residing and pledging to resist any requests to attend the rape trial in Dakar.
In the 2019 presidential election in Senegal, Sonko contested against President Macky Sall and subsequently won the position of mayor of Ziguinchor in the previous year.
The police in Senegal broke the windows of the opposition leader's car and forcefully removed him. His supporters had gathered outside his house since Sunday evening, fearing that the police would arrest him and take him to court.
On social media, there have been messages urging followers to act as protection for Sonko and shield him from being arrested.
Sonko was given a suspended prison sentence of 6 months in a defamation case and announced that he would not be answering any more court summonses.
During a news conference in Paris on Monday, Sonko's legal team stated that he had not been officially summoned yet, but would attend if certain requirements were fulfilled. Additional police officers were dispatched in Ziguinchor and other parts of Senegal by the Senegalese authorities.