Senegal: Violent Student Demonstration in Ziguinchor

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