The tension gripping Senegalese universities has reached a new level. Faced with violence recorded on several campuses and the controversial presence of law enforcement in university spaces, MP Abdou Mbow broke his silence, denouncing what he calls the "culpable silence" of the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and the government led by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko.

According to the parliamentarian, speaking during the plenary session yesterday, Thursday, on the examination of the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene's budget, the situation within higher education institutions has become "increasingly worrying," to the point of constituting a genuine national crisis. He expressed particular outrage at the police intervention in universities, which he deemed not only excessive but also contrary to the legal framework protecting academic freedoms and autonomy.

"Nothing justifies police intervention in universities."

Abdou Mbow relies on Article 6 of Law 94-79 concerning university freedoms and privileges to support his position. This text stipulates that police intervention within a university is only permitted when the life or liberty of individuals is seriously threatened or when the security of property is at risk. Even then, he insists, such intervention must be exceptional and cease as soon as the threat disappears. "Nothing that is currently happening justifies the permanent presence of police officers on university premises," he stated.

For him, the scenes of pursuit, repression and injuries among students are "unacceptable" and seriously damage the image of the university institution, which is supposed to be a space of knowledge, freedom and debate.

"Students are not criminals."

Visibly angered, the MP insisted that the students are "neither bandits nor thieves, much less brigands." In his view, their only fault was demanding the payment of their scholarships and improvements to their living and studying conditions. "We must stop attacking students," he declared, calling on the State to protect rather than repress these young people, often described as the future of the country.

A political silence deemed unacceptable

Another point of contention: the complete absence of any reference to the university crisis during the Council of Ministers meeting on December 3rd. Neither the President of the Republic nor the Prime Minister, let alone the government, addressed the situation, according to Abdou Mbow. He considers this silence "shocking" given the gravity of the events.

"When young people are injured on their own campuses, the very least that can be done is for the highest authorities to speak out and take action," he stressed, calling for an urgent institutional response.

"Where did the argument about lack of resources go?"

Abdou Mbow believes that while the state has been able to mobilize nearly 5 billion CFA francs to compensate former political prisoners, it cannot reasonably cite a lack of resources to justify the delays in scholarship payments. "You can't find money for some and then say there isn't any for students," he denounced, describing the situation as a blatant injustice and an aggravating factor in the tensions.

A direct appeal to the Minister of Finance

The MP calls on the Minister of Finance to intervene directly with the Head of State and the Prime Minister to obtain the immediate withdrawal of law enforcement from universities and the swift resolution of the scholarship issue.

For Abdou Mbow, time is of the essence: "The university problem must be resolved before it is too late." Otherwise, he warns, the crisis could spread and take on uncontrollable proportions.