Pupil dies, 48 wounded in accident in Darfur

A traffic accident claimed the life of a pupil and caused injuries to 48 other children in central Jebel Marra on Saturday, on the way to their school exam location.

A total of 976 pupils were on their way from Rokoro to Zalingei locality in more than nine vehicles, to sit for the Sudanese certificate exams which start today. One of the vehicles suffered a sudden malfunction because of the rugged road, a teacher reported, leading it to overturn and land upside down.

The accidents resulted in the death of one of the children. 48 pupils, including several in a critical condition, were transferred to Nyala hospital. A doctor in the hospital, Abubakr Mohamed El Amin, reported that four children have had surgery and 42 have been discharged. The remaining six students are now in El Fasher hospital to receive treatment.

People in central Jebel Marra are reportedly “in shock” by the news, the teacher told Radio Dabanga.

In March basic school children to secondary school children participate in the annual examinations, and schools in unsafe Jebel Marra areas often transfer their pupils to localities in South or Central Darfur for the duration of the examination period.

37,500 pupils

At least 2,100 pupils from Deribat in Eastern Jebel Marra arrived in Nyala in South Darfur on Monday, ready to sit for the Sudanese certificate exams that start today. An education official told Radio Dabanga that the children were transferred from Jebel Marra because of the worsening security situation in the areas surrounding the Jebel Marra Mountains, parts of which are still under the control of the rebel SLM led by Abdel Wahid El Nur.

In North Darfur, 37,500 boys and girls will sit for the exams in 194 centres, the state Minister of Education reported. Minister Yousif Ishag said: “The great stability the state has witnessed in its security situation has prompted the ministry to open new centres for the Sudanese certificate exams in other localities, for the first time after 13 years of transferring students to El Fasher and other towns.”

Ishag explained that pupuls in the camps for displaced people have also been transferred to El Tina, Um Baru and Karnoi localities, like previous years.