Senegal's Sonatel first half net up 15 pct

ABIDJAN, July 24 (Reuters) - Senegalese telecom company Sonatel's net profit rose 15 percent to 87.02 billion CFA francs ($160.3 million) during the first half of 2012, the company said on Tuesday.

Turnover rose to 323.61 bil,lion CFA francs from 312.25 billion last year, according to a statement posted on the bourse's website.

"A control over operational charges in Sengal contributed to the improvement in revenue margins, despite the impact from increased competition, the crisis in Mali and unfavourable regulations in Senegal and Mali," the statement said. ($1 = 542.7860 CFA francs) (Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Joe Bavier and David Holmes)