Senegal: Government and students enter "time of dialogue" following death during campus protests

On 09/02/2026, Abdoulaye Ba, a student of dental medicine at the Cheikh Anta Dip university (UCAD) in Dakar, Senegal, died falling from a window, to avoid a fire that broke out during a police intervention on the student dormitories of his university. His death has emboldened the student protest movement throughout the country, which has added “Justice for Abdoulaye” to its list of initial demands linked to student living conditions, and above all, the payment of scholarships. While tensions have now eased, the root problems are still far from solved.

This news analysis looks at the background of the students protests in Senegal and what the government of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is doing to address their complaints. A lecturer and researcher quoted in the article says that it is now "a time of dialogue" between students and the government.

Students entitled to monthly grant or half grant depending on results

In Senegal, since 1982, a student grant programme, based on academic excellence, allows young Senegalese of all backgrounds to go to college. “If you’ve gotten your…