Khartoum students’ protest dispersed: Four wounded

Four university students were injured and two others were arrested at a complex of the University of Khartoum on Sunday, after riot police violently dispersed protesting students.

The student protest took place at Shambat complex of the Faculty of Agriculture, against an earlier attack by students loyal to the ruling National Congress Party on another student. The demonstration was also aimed against rigging of the students’ union elections.

The attack on student Salim Suleiman El Safi by other students happened after he addressed fellow students and spoke about allegations of the National Congress Party students rigging the union elections. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, one of the students said that people jumped in to protect El Safi.

The security apparatus intervened by firing tear gas and live bullets to disperse the protesters, he said. They injured Mohamed Ali, Fadlemawla Abdallah Abuajab, Bannaga El Amin and Salim Suleiman, and arrested El Makashfi Ibrahim and El Amin Arbab.

The tear gas caused respiratory problems for people in the vicinity. A number of women students in the vicinity reportedly fainted as a result, and were taken to the hospital for treatment.

“There is a number of missing students whose whereabouts have not yet been identified as the security services still surrounded the Shambat complex until Monday evening,” the student added.

Khartoum protests

Last week, Khartoum witnessed other protests that have been met with violence and detentions by the Sudanese security and police authorities. These are aimed against the sharp increase of prices in Sudan. One of the causes for the rising prices and runaway inflation is the raised indicative exchange rate of the US Dollar, which the Central Bank of Sudan set on SDG 30 on Monday February 5, in a bid to halt the plummeting of the Pound.