Senegal opposition leader appeals conviction threatening his presidential bid

FILE PHOTO: Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko speaks during a news conference in Dakar, Senegal March 8, 2021. REUTERS/Cooper Inveen

DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has appealed a libel conviction that could prevent him running in presidential elections next year, one of his lawyers said, as another round of protests broke out on Monday.

Last week, Sonko received a suspended six-month sentence for libel stemming from his accusations that the minister of tourism had embezzled funds.