Senegal: Student Death at Dakar University Sparks Outrage

A student died and dozens were injured, some critically, during clashes with security forces at the Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar, Senegal, on Monday, February 9, 2026. The violence erupted during a student protest over delayed scholarship payments and living conditions, according to accounts from students and a statement from the Minister of the Interior.

“We have plunged into horror,” said Baye Fall, a master’s student in public law at UCAD, describing the events of Monday. He recounted witnessing the death of a fellow student and the injuries sustained by at least nine others. Videos circulating on social media, some viewed hundreds of thousands of times, appear to show security forces using force against the protesting students.

The students had initially called for a “black Monday” of protest, intending a demonstration without violence, to draw attention to their grievances. The Minister of the Interior, Mouhamadou Bamba Cissé, acknowledged on Tuesday that the events constituted a “tragedy.”

The Collectif des Amicales, a student organization at UCAD, has announced its intention to file complaints against the authorities, according to a post on the MEDIASENEGALTVHD Facebook page. The post names Cheikhouna Diop Baye Fall as a contact for further information.

Baye Fall is identified on LinkedIn as a student at UCAD. A separate Facebook post from February 3, 2026, alleges that security forces deployed tear gas within the university’s student housing and reports the suspension and financial penalty levied against a student named Petit Baye Fall.

The circumstances surrounding the initial escalation of the protests remain unclear. The university has not yet issued a comprehensive statement addressing the students’ concerns or detailing the response of security forces.