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Senegal Campus Raid Leaves One Dead, Sparks Outrage
A police raid on protesting students at Senegal’s top university left one dead and more than 100 arrested, deepening tensions as President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s government faces a severe debt crisis and growing youth discontent.
cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar (UCAD) photo by UCAD
A police raid on student dormitories at Senegal’s top university has left one student dead, more than 100 arrested and dozens injured, intensifying tensions between the country’s youth and a government grappling with a deepening debt crisis.
Amadou Bilo Diallo, a 23-year-old journalism student, said he was hiding in his dormitory room with five roommates and several friends when Senegalese police stormed in and began beating them with batons and shields.
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“There was nothing we could do,” Diallo said. “They were men in uniform we couldn’t resist; we couldn’t fight back.”
Diallo said he suffered wounds to his head and feet. Other students reported being hospitalized after being beaten or jumping from upper floors to escape a fire that broke out during the violence. Abdoulaye Ba, a second-year dental surgery student who lived in the building, died of his injuries that day.
The unrest followed demonstrations over what students described as unpaid financial aid, highlighting a widening rift between Senegal’s populist leadership and the young voters who helped bring them to power less than two years ago.
The violence comes as the government struggles with a debt crisis after uncovering an estimated $13 billion in borrowing that had been misreported by the previous administration.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye won election in 2024 following years of youth-led protests against his predecessor, Macky Sall. Faye’s rise was bolstered by opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, whom he later appointed prime minister.
For many young Senegalese, the promises made by Faye and Sonko both in their 40s at the time have deepened feelings of disappointment.
“It’s a shame we weren’t expecting this, especially coming from this regime,” said Pathe Baila Barry, a classmate of Diallo who said he was also beaten during the raid.
The financial strain stems in part from what officials describe as one of the largest cases of hidden debt ever recorded in Africa. After revised figures were disclosed in September 2024, Senegal’s debt burden surged to 132% of gross domestic product, up from 78% in 2023, according to the International Monetary Fund. The IMF subsequently froze its $1.8 billion lending programme.
Sonko has ruled out debt restructuring, and the government has prioritized repaying international investors.
“Managing a state is like managing your own bank account,” Aminata Toure, a senior adviser to Faye, told Reuters. “Sometimes you have to focus on priorities; that doesn’t mean that you are not interested in the rest.”
Student associations say first-year students have received 75,000 CFA francs ($135) in recent months instead of the 155,000 CFA francs they say they are owed. The government maintains it is not in arrears but has altered the payment schedule.
Documents from the higher education ministry seen by Reuters show student financial aid was set at over 78.8 billion CFA francs ($142 million) in the 2026 budget, about 11% less than in 2024.
The bursary dispute reflects broader economic pressures. A 1% tax was introduced last year on grocery store cash transactions and a 0.5% tax on bank transactions. Teachers’ unions have staged nationwide strikes over staff shortages, salary equity and taxes.
According to a January economy ministry report, the number of formal sector workers fell by 5.2% between October 2024 and October 2025. The construction sector has slumped after the government paused several projects for audits shortly after taking office. The status of most reviews remains unclear.
“We are at more than 17,000 direct job losses in the formal sector,” said Oumar Gueye of the National Union of Construction Workers (SNTC/BTP).
Police said more than 100 students were arrested during the dormitory raids, and the university has remained closed for more than two weeks. Video footage verified by Reuters shows three officers beating a person with batons outside a student residence while at least five other officers stood nearby.
Interior Minister Mouhamadou Bamba Cisse said force was necessary to protect public property, alleging that some students had planned to ransack a campus restaurant.
The student association representing the faculty of medicine, pharmacy and dentistry, where Ba had been studying, has disputed the official account of his death.
Public prosecutor Ibrahima Ndoye said an investigation would be completed soon and that available evidence does not support claims that Ba was beaten to death. He said Ba died after jumping from a fourth-floor window.
For many students, the government’s response has eroded trust in leaders they once supported.
“This government is here today thanks to us,” said economics student Assane Dia. “We couldn’t imagine that after only two years in office, Sonko could do this to students.”
Editor’s Note:
This article is based on accounts from students, statements by Senegalese government officials, documents reviewed by Reuters and data from the International Monetary Fund. Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the campus raid and the death of Abdoulaye Ba are ongoing.
