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Clashes between security forces and protesters gripped Senegal's
capital and other cities on Friday, the first widespread unrest
over the delay of a vote that many fear could lead to protracted
instability.
In a statement, the ministry said it had been informed of the
death of student Alpha Yero Tounkara and that it would be
investigated, but denied its forces were to blame.
"The Defence and Security Forces did not intervene to maintain
order on the university campus where the death occurred," it
said.
It was not immediately clear if protests would continue on
Saturday. Further violent stand-offs with security forces will
add to fears of democratic retreat.
Less than three weeks before the Feb. 25 presidential vote,
parliament voted to push it back to December, sealing an
extension of President Macky Sall's mandate, which has raised
concerns that one of the remaining democracies in coup-hit West
Africa is under threat.
Sall, who has reached his constitutional limit of two terms,
said he delayed the vote due to disputes that he said threatened
the credibility of the electoral process, but some of the
opposition have denounced the move as an "institutional coup."
(Reporting by Bate Felix; Writing by Alessandra Prentice;
Editing by Toby Chopra)
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