3 university students set fire to themselves in Senegal

DAKAR, Senegal – A student leader said that three university students set fire to themselves on the campus of Senegal's largest university to protest changes in the way credits are being counted in the college's geography department.

Seydou Niang, who organized a weeklong hunger strike, said that three of his classmates doused themselves in gasoline and set themselves alight on Friday. Niang spoke on the telephone from the hospital, where he had accompanied the three. He said all three had survived, but one had suffered severe burns and was in intensive care.

The University of Cheikh Anta Diop was once one of the most prestigious universities in West Africa. It has fallen into disrepair and the campus is frequently immobilized both by student protests and strikes by the low-paid professors.