Koran University expels Darfuri students

The Holy Koran University of Omdurman has expelled four Darfuri students on charges of committing arson at the university last November.

It is alleged that Muawiya Adam Mohamadain, Nawfal Mohamed Saleh, Adam Hassan Arbab, and Biraima Mohamed Ibrahim were among those who ‘caused a fire’, during a student protest on 11 November.

The demonstration at the Koran University was about the administration’s insistence that Darfur students pay tuition and exam fees. Students from the conflict-torn western region are supposed to be exempt from university fees in terms of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

The Ministry of Interior later stated that a Molotov cocktail was thrown into an office. “A limited number of Darfuri students caused riots at the Faculty of Education of the University of the Holy Koran […] the fire was caused by some Darfuri students.”

Lawyer Ahmed Jibril Hasabo informed Radio Dabanga that on 23 December, the Wad Nubawi Court in Omdurman North dropped charges against five of the seven students who were charged with disturbing public order following clashes at the campus in November. Two of the accused, 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, were not released.

The court has charged the two student leaders with criminal damage, Hasabo said.