Riots as Senegalese leader cleared to run

Riots have erupted in the Sengalese capital of Dakar, leaving a policeman dead, as angry protesters took to the streets after a court cleared President Abdoulaye Wade's tilt at a highly disputed third term in office.

The African nation's Constitutional Council gave the 85-year-old the green light to run in February 26 polls, sparking anger among opponents who accuse him of fiddling with the constitution to serve his own interests.

Amid the resulting unrest, Wade in turn told his opponents to stop throwing "temper tantrums".

The five-judge council rejected the candidacy of music icon Youssou Ndour, who warned of rising tension in the country and vowed to challenge his disqualification.

While the international community appealed for calm in one of Africa's most stable democracies, violence spread through the seaside capital on Friday night as rioters engaged in running battles with police, setting alight tyres and shops.

"They killed a policeman," Dakar police commissioner Arona Sy told AFP of clashes between police and demonstrators, without saying how he died.

Thousands had gathered peacefully at the Place de l'Obelisque in the working-class suburb of Colobane all day ahead of Friday's highly anticipated ruling.

But shortly after the announcement, tensions rose and police lobbed teargas at stone-throwing protesters who dispersed to set up barricades and burn tyres along the city's main arteries.

"I see fires, it is impossible to pass," a witness driving through Dakar told AFP. "There are fires in Sacre-Coeur, on the VDN," a main road leading to the north of the city.

The June 23 Movement of opposition against Wade's candidacy, which called Friday's rally, appealed to Senegalese to march on the presidential palace in downtown Dakar to "remove Wade, who is squatting there".

The Constitutional Council approved 13 other candidates including three former prime ministers, Idrissa Seck, Macky Sall and Moustapha Niasse, and main opposition leader Ousmane Tanor Dieng.

Ndour, who shocked the music world when he announced this month he was quitting singing for politics, was left off the list, with the council saying thousands of signatures he provided could not be verified. A minimum of 10,000 were needed.

The singer warned in an interview with France 3 television that the approval of Wade's bid "is going to create tension".

Rights activists have warned against a repetition of riots in June last year, and clashes between rival parties in December that left one person dead.

Amnesty International has warned the "potential for destabilisation is huge" and urged political leaders to make sure their supporters did not resort to violence.