In Dakar, tensions have eased at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD), but anger remains. After several days of clashes between students and security forces, the death of a second-year medical student has deeply shocked the country and reignited criticism of the government.
The mobilization stems from the payment of scholarship arrears, a recurring demand in Senegalese universities. For several years, these delays have regularly provoked protests, sometimes marked by clashes with the police.
This week, the situation deteriorated. Videos filmed by students show police officers in riot gear beating young people with batons on campus and even in student residences.
Alassane Goudjaby, a student at the National Higher Institute of Popular Education and Sport at UCAD, states that the students did not plan to demonstrate:
“What the students said was that they didn’t want to organize a demonstration. But the police forced us to demonstrate. (…) They found us in our rooms, they evicted us, they beat us until we were injured.”
A death that provokes outrage
The violence reached its peak on Monday with the death of a second-year medical student in circumstances that remain unclear. The government described the events as a "tragedy" and acknowledged acts of police brutality, while accusing some protesters of attempting to destroy university infrastructure.
These accusations are disputed by many students, who are demanding an independent investigation to shed light on the circumstances of the death.
Demba Naguel Diallo, a physics and chemistry student at UCAD, expressed a sentiment widely shared on campus: “We are truly disappointed (…) especially with this government, which we supported until the end of the struggle; we expected something else. (…) I hope that investigations will be carried out into this tragedy.”
Disillusioned youth
The crisis takes on a particularly sensitive dimension in a country where nearly 75% of the population is under 35. Young people played a decisive role in the 2024 political transition, overwhelmingly supporting the current government and its promises to break with the old system.
Today, some are talking about betrayal. "A disgrace for Africa," say students, denouncing violence they consider incompatible with the hopes placed in the new authorities.
Campus still closed
Two days after the clashes, calm has returned to UCAD. However, the university and student residences remain closed. Many students have left Dakar without knowing when classes will resume.
Beyond the material damage, it is now the relationship between the government and a part of Senegalese youth that seems weakened, pending answers, the establishment of possible responsibilities and concrete measures to restore trust.
