Five Darfur students released in Omdurman – two leaders held again

The Wad Nubawi Court in Omdurman North ordered the release of seven Darfur students on Wednesday, however, security agents intervened and held two leaders again.

The Darfuris are all students of the University of the Holy Koran in Omdurman. They were detained by security agents after clashes broke out at the campus in November over the administration’s insistence that Darfur students pay tuition and exam fees.

According to the 2011 Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, students from the conflict-torn western region are exempted from university fees. Yet, many universities in Sudan ignored the provision during the past years.

The judge acquitted all seven detainees and dropped the charges of disturbing the public order, Adam Mousa, spokesman of the Darfur Students Association told Radio Dabanga.

“However, when the two defence lawyers, Samir Makin and Abdelaziz El Tom, went to the prosecutor’s office to arrange for the release, security officers intervened and held Nasreldin Mukhtar, head of the Darfur Students Association branch of the Holy Koran University, and Musab Osman El Amoudi, deputy secretary-general of the Association.

“Abdelhakim Mohamed Abdallah, El Zubeir Hassan, Hafiz Abdelrahman Abakar, Adam Mohamed Omar, and Mohamed Abdelatif El Sababi were released,” he said.