On February 9, 2026, Senegalese police clashed with students protesting unpaid scholarships at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD). During the clashes, police detained over 100 students. One student later died from injuries sustained during the clashes.
Against the backdrop of a national economic crisis, students in Senegal had held peaceful demonstrations to demand stipends and other financial aid for over a year. Beginning in December 2025, campus protests increasingly devolved into violent clashes with law enforcement (see report). After a week of intensified unrest, security forces entered the UCAD campus on February 9, 2026, firing tear gas into the buildings while students retaliated by throwing stones. Video footage showed campus buildings engulfed in flames. Police detained an estimated 109 students.
Security forces deployed to the campus allegedly entered student residence halls during the unrest to search for threats to campus security. The president of the Student Association of the Faculty of Medicine reported that officers who entered student rooms assaulted Abdoulaye Ba, a second-year medical student, before taking him to a nearby student welfare office. Ba, who reportedly had not been participating in the protests, suffered fatal head trauma and severe blood loss. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
During a press conference on February 17, 2026, the public prosecutor claimed Ba had fallen from the third floor of a building while trying to escape from a fire. His claims were disputed by student organizations and Ba’s family.
In the aftermath of the confrontation, Senegalese authorities closed UCAD’s residences and dining halls “until further notice,” halting academic activity.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about lethal violence occurring during a student protest and sends condolences to Abdoulaye Ba’s family, colleagues, and community. Scholars at Risk calls on state authorities to refrain from the disproportionate use of force and endangerment of civilians and respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression. Students and members of the public must refrain from violence, especially on campus, and also respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, such incidents undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://www.dw.com/fr/colère-après-la-mort-dun-étudiant-à-lucad-de-dakar/a-75895447
https://www.afrique-sur7.fr/senegal-violences-a-lucad-109-etudiants-liberes
https://www.africaglobalvillage.com/dakar-universities-rocked-by-renewed-clashes-between-students-and-police/
https://www.africanews.com/2026/02/11/senegalese-government-says-death-of-student-in-protests-is-a-tragedy/
https://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/senegal-la-police-maintient-3-responsables-etudiants-en-garde-vue-pour-troubles-violence-et-vandalisme-2809411
https://www.abc.com.py/internacionales/2026/02/10/muere-un-estudiante-universitario-en-senegal-en-choques-con-la-policia-tras-una-protesta/
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/student-dies-senegal-university-protests-over-finances-escalate-2026-02-10/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/dakar-dentistry-promises-west-africa-international-monetary-fund-b2918093.html
https://mfwa.org/country-highlights/senegal-student-death-after-university-protests-renews-scrutiny-of-police-conduct/