Dakar, Senegal — Clashes between students and security forces at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar intensified on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, as students protested for delayed stipends and financial aid, amid worsening economic conditions in Senegal.
University administrators called for police assistance after students hurled stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas to disperse the crowds. The confrontation disrupted lectures and left several students injured.
The protests reflect growing frustration over the government’s financial management as the country grapples with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 132%, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“We are afraid… Several students are currently injured and the medical service is unable to cope with the influx,” said Pape Demba Niane, a third-year law and political science student.
‘Universities in Turmoil’
Student leaders said they had been demanding action from the government for more than a year without success.
“We appealed to the president of the Republic and the prime minister, who are aware that the country is unstable and that the universities are in turmoil,” said Demba Ka, president of one of the campus associations.
Ka accused the government of worsening tensions by deploying police to suppress peaceful demonstrations.
“We didn’t expect this government to sacrifice young people who fought for them to become leaders of this country!” he said.
The university, which has nearly 90,000 students enrolled, has been a focal point of youth activism in Senegal.
Political and Economic Strain
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, a former UCAD student, rose to power promising to combat unemployment, corruption, and elitism. However, since taking office in April 2024 alongside President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, his administration has faced criticism over its handling of social unrest and economic hardship.
An audit by the new government revealed a deeper debt burden and fiscal deficit than previously disclosed. Negotiations with the IMF over a new financial program have progressed slowly, while rising inflation and subsidy cuts have fueled public discontent.
The protests at UCAD underscore a wider sense of frustration among Senegal’s youth, who view the government’s economic reforms as detached from their immediate realities.
As fiscal pressures mount and the country’s universities remain restive, the administration faces an uphill battle to restore confidence in both its economic policy and social stability.
