Student dies as Senegal university protests over finances escalate

A student died during protests over unpaid financial aid at Senegal’s top university in Dakar, the government said late on Monday, as weeks of unrest over delayed stipends escalated into clashes with security forces.

Footage verified by Reuters showed flames and smoke engulfing the top floor of a four-storey campus building as students scrambled to escape out of windows, with some falling to the ground.

The government said the circumstances of the death of Abdoulaye Ba, a second-year dental surgery student at Cheikh Anta Diop University, remain under investigation.

The protests reflect mounting pressure from Senegal’s worsening public finances. The administration that took office in April 2024 is grappling with a $13bn (R207bn) budget hole, one of Africa’s most severe hidden debt crises, and growing public dissatisfaction as bills go unpaid.

Demonstrations on campus since early December have descended into confrontations between rock-throwing students and security forces. “We pledge to conduct a thorough inquiry to determine any legal responsibility,” the government said.

Ba suffered fatal head trauma and severe blood loss, according to Cheikh Atab Sagna, president of the student association of the faculty of medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry.

He said Ba was not participating in the protests but was assaulted by police who entered student rooms before taking him to a nearby student welfare office. A second student leader, Serigne Saliou Fall, confirmed Ba’s fatal injuries. Police in Dakar did not respond to a request for comment.

The government described Ba’s death as a result of injuries sustained during “serious events” on campus but did not give further details.

Rights groups, including the Senegalese League for Human Rights and Amnesty International Senegal, condemned what they described as the “disproportionate use of force by police”.

Cheikh Anta Diop University, one of the largest in West Africa with nearly 90,000 students in 2024, announced on Tuesday it would close at noon “until further notice”.

Student Madawass Diagne, among those raising money to help students pay for long journeys home, said he voted for President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and now felt let down.

“We are not in favour of the same injustices we were fighting against,” he said. “It’s like [the president] betrayed a whole country.”

An audit carried out by Senegal’s government last year uncovered a larger-than-reported debt and budget deficit from the previous government. Talks with the IMF over a new financial programme remain sluggish amid growing public discontent and a worsening fiscal outlook.

Reuters