North Darfur students want bread, buses, and better dorms

Students of the University of El Fasher in North Darfur took to the streets on Thursday, in protest against the deteriorating conditions of the dormitories, the continuing shortages of bread and transportation, and the soaring prices of basic commodities.

They called for the dissolution of the Student Support and Welfare Fund, established during the regime of deposed President Omar Al Bashir. The university’s administration should take over the responsibility for the housing and subsistence of the students.

The demonstrators passed the Student Fund office and then turned to the residence of the North Darfur acting governor Maj Gen Malik Khojali.

The students handed the governor a memorandum demanding the provision of bread, maintenance and improvement of the dormitories, rehabilitation of the lecture halls, and the provision of a bus line from the dormitories to the faculties that are located outside the main complex.

One of the protesting students told Radio Dabanga that they have raised several memorandums to the Student Support and Welfare Fund, urging its administration to improve the provision of clean drinking water, and address sanitation problems and housing shortages. “The Fund however, categorically ignored our demands, which made us go out in a demonstration to publicly call attention to the problems.”

On November 27, students of the University of Sennar in Singa took to the streets in protest after a student was injured when the bunk bed she was sleeping on in a dormitory collapsed. The students demanded the dissolution of the Student Fund, and the return of housing and subsistence to the university administration.

The Sennar students echoed the demands of students of the University of El Gezira in Wad Madani, who organised a rally on November 26 to demand the dissolution of the national Student Support and Welfare Fund because it failed to provide adequate services.

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