In one post, the 26-year-old student warned his 1,700 followers about security forces firing live rounds at protesters. Offline he helped too, showing elderly neighbours how to ease their discomfort from inhaling mouthfuls of tear gas, said his younger brother Djimbala Ba. His supporters say the charges were politically motivated and have taken to the streets in their thousands, hurling rocks at security forces, setting cars and buildings alight and ransacking supermarkets and gas stations. Security forces deny firing on protesters or using excessive force. Ba and Ndiaye said he was shot by security forces.

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Persons: Elhaji Cisse, Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Djimbala Ba, Cisse braved, Ba, Cheikh Ndiaye, Cisse, Elon Musk, it's, Ndiaye, Macky Sall, Sall, Edward McAllister, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Police, Security, Real, Twitter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Senegal's, Canada, Real Madrid