Government bans student unions following two student deaths

The Ivory Coast government has banned the activities of all student unions in the country after the killing of two students identified as Khalifa Diomandé and Zigui Mars Aubin Déagoué, writes Olumayowa Samuel for Peoples Gazette.

The National Security Council (CNS) announced the ban on Thursday 17 October after a meeting chaired by President Alassane Ouattara, in response to a proposal made by the country’s minister in charge of higher education. The statement noted that “the dissolution of all student union bodies which were established in the 1990s” was aimed at curbing violence in the country’s university campuses and schools.

Some members of the Student and School Federation of Côte d’Ivoire (FESCI), suspected to be behind the killings that occurred in August and September 2024, have been arrested. The government, aside from opening a judicial investigation, has dislodged everyone living irregularly on university campuses, which has led to the arrest of 17 students, including the general secretary of FESCI.
Full report on the Peoples Gazette site