One killed as Senegal police, anti-Wade crowds clash

At least one person was killed on Tuesday as Senegalese security forces armed with truncheons and tear gas clashed with rock-throwing activists protesting against President Abdoulaye Wade’s decision to seek a third term.A 30-year-old student was run over by a truck and died from his injuries after mass protests in the capital Dakar turned violent, a government official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.Senegal’s top legal body, the Constitutional Council, confirmed on Monday that Wade, 85, could stand for re-election, despite complaints it breached rules setting a two-term limit.The ruling provoked protests across Senegal - long seen as haven of stability in West Africa. The United States said on Monday Wade’s decision to seek a third term could endanger the country’s record of democracy.Opposition leaders and thousands of activists, brought together by the umbrella M23 campaign group, gathered in central Dakar on Tuesday calling on Wade to reconsider his decision to run in the February 26 election.Some of the protesters hurled stones at police who retaliated with truncheons and tear gas, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.“Wade leave now. The people are fed up,” protesters chanted in footage broadcast by TFM, a television station owned by world music star Youssou N’Dour, whose presidential bid was rejected by the Constitutional Council.M23 leaders have called the ruling a “constitutional coup” and threatened to make the country ungovernable.