One dies as troops fire on Darfuri students in Khartoum

A Darfuri student of the University of Khartoum was shot dead by security forces today (Tuesday). Other students were injured. Darfuri students had organised a political meeting within the university premises, condemning the silence of the Sudanese government about the ongoing violence against civilians in Darfur. When they went to the streets in a peaceful march, security troops opened fire on them. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, multiple sources reported that the security forces used excessive violence during and after the meeting, when the students went to the streets in a march to hand a memorandum against the violence in Darfur to the UN representative in Khartoum. The security forces used batons, tear gas, and live bullets to disperse the demonstrators. Ali Abakar Musa Idris, third year student at the Faculty of Economics, was shot dead, and a number of other Darfuri students were injured, including Mohamed Ishag Abdallah of the Bahri University, and Mohanad Abu Elgasim of the University of Khartoum. Dormitory “The security forces arrested dozens of Darfuri students during the demonstration,” the chairman of the Darfur Students’ Association of the University of Khartoum told Radio Dabanga this afternoon. He confirmed that the body of the killed student was transferred to the Bashayir Hospital.    Security troops also stormed the Zahra dormitory of the University of Khartoum, and beat the Darfuri women students, the chairman said. According to the chairman of the Darfur Students’ Association of the Islamic University three Darfuri students sustained bullet wounds when security troops and students of the ruling National Congress Party shot at them. He confirmed that the security forces used live bullets to “intimidate and disperse” the demonstrating students. ‘Peace and Justice for Darfur’ The chairman explained that the Associations of Sons of Darfur had invited students from all Khartoum State universities and higher institutes to the meeting under the motto “No to war. Yes to Peace – No to racism and tribalism – Peace and Justice for Darfur!”. “The meeting was organised in response to the attacks on Saraf Omra, El Taweisha, and Alliet in North Darfur, and on the villages in the area south of the Ed Daein-Nyala railway in South Darfur. After the meeting the students decided to march to an UN office in Khartoum to hand a memorandum. They were immediately stopped by police and security troops, who fired tear gas at them and began shooting.” Kalashnikovs The chairman of the Darfur Students’ Association of the Islamic University described what had happened inside the University of Khartoum’s compound. “Students belonging of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) entered the university, along with security troops, carrying Molotov cocktails, batons, revolvers, and Kalashnikovs to intimidate the students at the meeting, and disperse them.”   “It is amazing that the administration of the University of Khartoum allowed heavily armed NCP students and the security forces to enter the university premises.” The chairman further noted that the total number of injured students injured is unknown. Main photo: Ali Abakar Musa Idris, 3rd year student at the Faculty of Economics, University of Khartoum, killed on 11 March 2014 (Radio Dabanga)Below: Listeners’ pictures of the meeting and march in Khartoum.