Sonko election bid in doubt as Senegal court increases sentence | Politics News

The ruling is the latest twist in a saga that has fuelled unrest in Senegal, a usually stable state in a restive region.

A Senegalese court has handed opposition figure Ousmane Sonko a six-month suspended sentence in an appeal of a defamation case that could jeopardise his run for president next year.

In March, he received a two-month suspended sentence and a hefty fine in March for defaming Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang. On Monday, a Dakar appeals court increased the term to six months, potentially making Sonko ineligible for the vote.

Baboucar Cisse, a lawyer for the minister, told…