Darfuri students continue sit-in in Khartoum

The sit-in of Darfuri students from Northern state's Dongola University in front of the Ministry of Higher Education in Khartoum against “racist practices” by the university administration entered its fourth day yesterday.

The students who are protesting “racist treatment” of Darfuri students by the university's administration, refuse to return to Dongola and demand transferral to universities in the Sudanese capital.

More than a week ago, the university administration demanded that the students form a student committee to negotiate with the university administration about their complaints concerning the shortage of lecturers and badly equipped training units.

When the students did so, the administration accused four Darfuri members of the committee of “inciting” the other students to complain.

In response, more than 200 students from the Faculty of Computer Science at Dongola University resigned.

A student at the sit-in complained to Radio Dabanga they have been obstructed to use the bathrooms of the ministry and that the source they used to charge their mobile phones has been cut-off.

'Tribal hatred'

A source in Dongola reported that a group of residents attacked Darfuri students after a quarrel between two students about whether or not the sit-in in Khartoum should be broken up.

The Lecturers Association of the Dongola University announced its “total rejection of anything that harms the dignity of any student or provokes tribal hatred”.

In a statement on Thursday, the lecturers accused “certain parties in disguise” of adding “racial dimensions to common student protests”.

They further reported that the student demands concerning the university’s study environment are being considered.

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