Ivory Coast dissolves a powerful student union after deaths and a police raid

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The government of Ivory Coast announced on Thursday a ban on all student union associations following the death of two students and the arrest of 17 suspects. The ban comes on the heels of a government raid against student housing controlled by the Fédération Estudiantine et Scolaire de Côte d’Ivoire (FESCI), a student union which the government claimed was connected to the deaths. In the announcement of the arrests, the National Security Council said it has discovered large caches of weapons as well as several “illegal businesses” within the housing complex. The arrests targeted the leadership of FESCI, including the current general secretary, Sié Kambou.