Senegalese man dies after setting himself on fire outside presidential palace

DAKAR, Senegal – Authorities in Senegal say a man has died after setting himself on fire outside the presidential palace.

Radio station RFM reported that the man had arrived Monday afternoon in front of the gates to the palace doused in flammable liquid and then lit the fire. He was later taken to a hospital where he died of his injuries.

It is the first such incident since President Macky Sall took office earlier this year after beating longtime President Abdoulaye Wade in the runoff election.

In Febrruary 2011, two Senegalese citizens died after setting themselves on fire.

Senegal, a nation on Africa's western coast, is one of the region's few stable democracies though it suffers from high unemployment, particularly among young people, and a rising cost of living.