DAKAR, July 31 (Reuters) – Senegal has restricted access to internet services from Monday due to the spread of “hateful messages” on social media, communications minister said in a statement.

This comes after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was charged on Saturday with plotting an insurrection, criminal conspiracy and other offences.

His followers have been angered by the prospect that his conviction could bar him from standing in next year’s presidential election. “Telephone operators are required to comply with the notified requirements,” communications minister Moussa Bocar Thiam said in a statement.