Senegal prosecutor rejects accusations police tortured and killed student

On Tue, Feb 9, 2024, the Senegalese public prosecutor addressed the death of medical student Abdoulaye Ba, which occurred under disputed circumstances during police intervention at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar. The prosecutor stated that Ba died after "jumping from the fourth floor" rather than from police actions as claimed by protesters.

The autopsy report for Abdoulaye Ba identified multiple injuries to the chest and skull, complicated by significant internal bleeding, which excluded "an isolated natural cause," according to the coroner.

Contrary to the students' collective at UCAD, which alleged that Ba was "brutally tortured to death by the police," the prosecutor refuted this claim. He asserted that Ba "had not been beaten" and attributed his death to a fall from the fourth floor while attempting to escape a dormitory fire.

The prosecutor, Ibrahima Ndoye, indicated that Ba was trying to flee from "flames and smoke" that were causing suffocation. No details were provided regarding the cause of the fire that coincided with the police's presence on campus.

The government labeled Ba's death a "tragedy" and acknowledged "police misconduct." The Interior Minister, Mouhamadou Bamba Cisse, justified the police intervention by accusing students of attempting to damage university infrastructure, citing video evidence.

Video recordings captured by students and circulated on social media displayed confrontations between security forces and students. The footage included scenes of officers entering university premises, deploying tear gas, and students retaliating with stone-throwing. An authenticated video depicted police officers striking an individual with blunt instruments.

Based on reporting by Africanews.