DAKAR - A Senegal court has ordered jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to be reinstated on the electoral register, a ruling that could pave the way for him to run in a February presidential election, Sonko's lawyer Cire Cledor Ly said on Thursday.

Sonko has faced a flurry of court cases over the past two years for charges including libel and rape, which he denies. He was arrested in July for insurrection and was struck off the electoral roll, ruling him out of the February vote.

A court in the capital Dakar overturned that decision on Thursday, Ly told reporters outside the court.

A lawyer for the state said the government would appeal. REUTERS