Student accommodation facilities at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar were closed from midday on Tuesday until further notice, following the death of a student after clashes involving students and security forces.
The Center for University Services of Dakar announced the closure in an official statement, citing unrest on campus and surrounding roads in the capital late Monday.
In response, the Senegalese government pledged to “shed full light” on the circumstances surrounding the student’s death. Government spokesperson Marie Rose Khady Fatou Faye extended condolences to the bereaved family and the university community, stating that any responsibility would be established in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
She reaffirmed the authorities’ commitment to safeguarding campus security and protecting students, while urging restraint and calm. The Dakar campus coordination of the Autonomous Union of Higher Education attributed the tensions to proposed scholarship reforms and longstanding structural challenges within the higher education system.
The group also called for respect for legal protections governing university premises under a 1994 law. Students have been protesting over the closure of university canteens and changes to scholarship policies.
Similar demonstrations have been reported at other public universities, including in Saint-Louis, Thiès and Ziguinchor, according to media reports.