On Monday, 9 February 2026, the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) intervened amid student protests on the Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) campus in Dakar. The FDS’s response was to use tear gas on a large scale in several buildings, creating a climate of fear, chaos and confusion on campus and forcing students to lock themselves in their rooms to escape the effects of the gas.

According to the president of the Medical Students’ Association, Abdoulaye Ba, a second-year dental student at the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odontology (FMPO), tragically lost his life in the evening following an incident involving law enforcement officers in his dormitory. Beyond this tragedy, the FDS’s intrusion resulted in several injuries and the arrest of more than 105 students, who were prosecuted for “participating in an unauthorised demonstration”, “disturbing public order” and “destruction of public property”.

As a partner of Senegalese universities, AfricTivistes strongly condemns this level of disproportionate and unacceptable repression. Violence against students has no place in a university, a place of learning, debate and civic engagement. The intervention of the defence and security forces on campus, which resulted in serious violations, must be firmly and immediately condemned by all relevant authorities.

We wish to reiterate our strong opposition to the use of force against students on university campuses, even during protests. Such action constitutes a serious violation of academic and human freedoms. The authorities must understand that brutal repression never solves social or academic issues and could instead lead to an irreversible escalation of violence.

AfricTivistes calls on the authorities to take greater responsibility for managing student riots, and to consult more widely in order to protect young people and prevent further tragedies.

We reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding students and ensuring that universities remain safe, democratic spaces. We demand the immediate release of all students arrested during the protests. In this context, AfricTivistes solemnly calls on the Senegalese authorities to:

• Clarify the exact circumstances that led to this violence quickly and publicly.
• The physical and moral integrity of students must be guaranteed, and restraint must be exercised in any future interventions on campuses.
• Prioritise dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution mechanisms over repression.
• Protect and strengthen academic and civil liberties — the foundation of any viable democracy.

The strength of a democracy is reflected in how it protects, listens to and respects its young people. Universities must remain havens for learning, freedom of expression and active citizenship.

Finally, AfricTivistes pays tribute to the late Abdoulaye Ba and extends its heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and the wider university community.