VZCZCXRO0456
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0187 0431743
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121743Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1856
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS DAKAR 000187 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KDEM ECON SG
SUBJECT: Senegal: Violent Student Demonstration in Ziguinchor 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Students of the new University of Ziguinchor 
staged a violent demonstration on February 11 following a week of 
strikes.  They confronted security forces and burned tires to demand 
the payment of their stipends.  End Summary. 
 
Inadequate University Facilities Feed Frustration 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The University of Ziguinchor opened a year ago as part of 
the GOS's move to decentralize higher education.  However, the 
institution is unable to meet local expectations.  It has one badly 
constructed lecture hall, there are no dormitories, and to make 
matters worse, the GOS has not paid students their stipends.  This 
is a general problem throughout the country due to the dire public 
financial situation.  The university was built with a capacity to 
admit 300 students but now that number is closer to 1,000.  The 
demonstrators were joined by 1,000 high school graduates who are 
demanding admission to the university.  It is estimated that 4,000 
high school graduates in the country are still awaiting placement 
into universities. 
 
Students Manipulated by Opposition Parties 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Students have chosen to confront riot police as a means to 
express their frustrations against the Government and to place their 
issue in the national spotlight.  A political leader who is a member 
of the opposition told Embassy staff that small opposition parties 
such as the Democratic League (LD), the Party of Independence and 
Labor (PIT), and to a lesser degree the National Democratic Rally 
(RND) are manipulating students to create pre-election problems for 
the ruling party in the area.  In an apparent attempt to prevent the 
violence from spreading, security forces briefly detained ten 
students last week. 
Bernicat