According to his lawyers, the opposition leader was admitted into the intensive care unit after being on hunger strike for several weeks.

Ousmane Sonko has been at the centre of a crisis that has shaken Senegal ahead of the presidential elections. He launched the protest on July 30 after being accused of inciting deadly violence between his supporters and security personnel.

PHOTO | COURTESY Ousmane Sonko

Cire Cledor Ly, one of his lawyers, claimed he was admitted to Dakar's major hospital for intensive care.

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According to the attorney, Sonko "lost consciousness yesterday" and was admitted to the intensive care unit on Thursday.

Another lawyer, Bamba Cisse, said Sonko was in intensive care, and Sonko's Facebook page stated that he was admitted on Wednesday evening "after falling ill."

PHOTO | COURTESY Ousmane Sonko

Sonko has been detained at a hospital since August 6, when he was taken for emergency care. The specifics of his ailment remain unknown.

The 49-year-old has amassed a sizable following among Senegal's youth by depicting President Macky Sall as a would-be tyrant and the head of a corrupt elite.

Following a trial on allegations of moral corruption of a teenage beauty salon worker, he was sentenced to two years on June 1.

PHOTO | COURTESY Senegal protests

He claims the conviction was a ploy to keep him from running in the elections next year. Clashes broke out, killing at least 16 individuals.

He was arrested on July 28 and formally charged three days later with fomenting insurgency, criminal association, and endangering state security in relation to occurrences dating back to 2021. His PASTEF party was likewise disbanded.

The government is sceptical that he is actually on a hunger strike.