Govt. forces storm Bahri University, detain Darfur students

Dozens of students of the Khartoum Bahri University were injured, and others detained in a clash with government forces on Monday.

A force of policemen and security agents in 14 lorries and eight vans raided the Kadaro compound of the Bahri University at noon today (Monday)”, a student told Radio Dabanga, “while members of the Darfur Students Association were holding a political meeting.”

“The forces used tear gas to disperse the attendants, and beat them with hoses. A number of students sustained injuries. Dozens were detained.”

The source could not specify the number of the wounded and detained, as at the moment he was speaking to Radio Dabanga, the government forces were “still chasing students, and searching houses in the vicinity rented to students”.

The student furthermore reported that the administration of the University of Khartoum Bahri  (formerly the University of Juba) has expelled 48 Darfuri students until now since the beginning of the academic year. “They also harassed Darfuri students during the registration process, insisting on the payment of tuition fees, and procrastinated the issuance of certificates to the graduates.”

According to the 2011 Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, Darfuri students are exempted from tuition and exam fees. The stipulation was later enforced in an agreement between the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) and the federal Ministry of Higher Education. Nevertheless, several Sudanese universities have refused or evicted Darfuri students because they could not afford to pay the fees.