Authorities in Ivory Coast have suspended the activities of the powerful student union, the Ivory Coast Student and School Federation (Fesci), following the arrests of several of its members as part of a murder investigation. The action comes after the deaths of two individuals, including Zigui Mars Aubin Deagoue, a prominent rival to Fesci’s leader, Sie Kambou.
Police and prosecutors detained six members of Fesci, including Kambou, after Deagoue was found dead on the night of 29-30 September. The government reported that Deagoue had been abducted by individuals identified as Fesci members. The authorities have charged the detainees with murder and criminal conspiracy. The arrests are also linked to the death of Khalifa Diomande, another Fesci member, who was killed in late August.
The general secretary of Ivory Coast’s General Association of Pupils and Students, Wonbegue Silue, claimed that Fesci has wielded unchecked power on Abidjan’s campuses for years. “Its members would come and grab the microphone off you or make you suffer,” he said, adding that they even charged students for using campus toilets.
A security officer at Cocody University recalled intervening to stop torture sessions carried out by Fesci members in the basement. He described horrific scenes of people being stripped, burned, and beaten. Despite these incidents, he said that many go unpunished, with victims too afraid to speak out.
Founded in the 1990s, Fesci initially opposed the ruling Democratic Party of Ivory Coast-Democratic African Rally. It has since evolved into a significant player in Ivorian politics, with former leaders like Guillaume Soro and Charles Blé Goudé rising to prominent political roles. Both were implicated in the violence following the 2010 elections, which claimed over 3,000 lives.
Political analyst Geoffroy Kouao described Fesci as “extremely powerful” and noted that it remains a crucial stakeholder in educational policy. The influence of the student union extends to student accommodation, where it has taken over the allocation of university rooms—a role typically managed by the Regional Centre for Student Social Services (Crou). Students claim Crou has been ineffective and corrupt, forcing many to seek housing through Fesci at inflated rates.
In response to the situation, the government launched a large-scale operation in early October to evict illegal residents from university lodgings, promising a fair reallocation of rooms.