Students’ federation leaders arrested over murder of rival

The deaths of two members of FESCI, the biggest national students’ association in Côte d'Ivoire, are being investigated by the state prosecutor, with six senior members of the federation, including its general secretary, arrested in Abidjan in connection with the murder of a rival on 30 September.

A second murder inquiry has now opened into the death of another student. In August, Khalifa Diomondé, aged 30, died after being “seriously beaten” while in dispute with members of FESCI, the Fédération estudiantine et scolaire de Côte d’Ivoire, over a university grant, Radio France International (RFI) reported.

The six arrests, including that of Sié Kambou, the general secretary of FESCI, were made at the beginning of October following the death of Agui Mars Aubin Deagoué, whose body showed “traces of physical violence”, reported RFI.

He was a masters student at the University of Abobo-Adjamé and known to be a reported rival of Kambou in FESCI, reported Le Pays.

Following Deagoué’s death, the government condemned “a barbarous act” and suspended all activities of student union associations throughout the country, RFI reported.

Investigation into residences

In addition, the authorities were now taking a month to carry out inspections of all university residences to ensure order and security, reported Fratmat .

During intervention at a student residence at the University Félix Houphouet-Boigny at Cocody, north Abidjan, police found various weapons in bedrooms, including knives, machetes and baseball bats; and an alleged ‘torture area’ in a tunnel linking two campus buildings, including the medical centre, reported Fratmat, which added that the passage was used by FESCI as a cold store.

On 5 October, the higher education ministry, the regional centre for university works and the police collaborated in an order to demolish the new FESCI headquarters at Félix Houphouet-Boigny, reported Ivoire.ci.

Following the death of Deagoué and the arrests, the ministry of higher education and scientific research reminded the many students who were illicitly living in university residences throughout the country that they were under notice to quit, and ordered them to leave by 5 October, it was reported.

The ministry informed students that, following the evacuation, a major admissions and readmissions programme would be launched in the residences, reported All Africa News. Criteria for access would soon be announced to those students concerned, guaranteeing better supervision and ensuring only those eligible would benefit.

Students have ‘nowhere’ to go

Meanwhile, many students fear being left without anywhere to live.

RFI reported that, at the 650-bedroom Mermoz hall of residence in Cocody, “several tens of students, bags on their backs, suitcases in their hands, or mattresses on their heads” were leaving.

A student told RFI that they had paid FESCI for finding them accommodation, which they were now being told to leave, with many having nowhere to go.

Another student told RFI that many had no parents in Abidjan: “They have nothing and they are obliged to come to the student residences to do the best they can. If they don’t stay in the halls of residence they will sleep in the lecture halls or in bad conditions. There are the university residences but there are not enough for everybody.”— Compiled by Jane Marshall.

This article is drawn from local media. University World News cannot vouch for the accuracy of the original reports.