Senegal university student dies after protest clashes with police

A medical student has died after clashes erupted between police and students protesting delays in grant payments at a major university in Senegal, the government said on Tuesday.

The death comes amid a difficult economic climate in the west African country, where students have protested the thorny issue of stipend arrears for several years.

Unrest broke out at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in the capital Dakar on Monday, according to a statement by a government spokeswoman, who said a second-year medical student, Abdoulaye Ba, died as a result.

The university, which has tens of thousands of students, resembled a battlefield on Monday.

Videos on social media showed scenes of chaos, including security forces entering university grounds and firing tear gas into buildings while students retaliated by throwing stones.

The student movement at UCAD accuses the government of aiming to permanently halt scholarship arrears payments.

Government spokeswoman Marie-Rose Khady Fatou Faye offered the government's "deepest condolences" to Ba's "family, loved ones and the entire university community".

She said that "serious events" had led to his death, without providing further detail, and added that the government would ensure an investigation.

The statement further called on all parties to exercise restraint and act responsibly.

A press conference is scheduled for later in the day at the prime minister's office, with the ministers of justice and interior plus the armed forces expected to attend.

Youth anger

In Senegal, approximately 75 percent of the population is under 35 years old.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye's election in 2024 fanned hopes of change among the country's many disadvantaged young people as he promised a break with the past that was widely popular with the youth.

That same youth contingent was at the heart of violent demonstrations against the former president that shook the country between 2021 and 2024, as Senegal, widely considered a stable democracy, underwent a period of deadly political turbulence.

Faye and his charismatic mentor Ousmane Sonko, whom he appointed as prime minster, have promised to fight corruption at all levels and rebuild institutions.

A year and a half into their administration and with the country heavily mired in a major debt scandal, some are questioning what has been accomplished so far.