Refugee students in Chad face uncertainty

Over 100 students unable to seek university education due to procedural hassles

The future of over 100 Sudanese students in eastern Chad’s refugee camps is uncertain, a students’ representative told Radio Dabanga on Wednesday.Sudanese students who want to pursue education further than higher secondary schooling cannot undertake the procedures to enroll at Chad’s university, owing to their nationality. Stringent rules forbid them from entering Chadian universities and returning to Sudan might even mean facing arrest.

The situation has put them in a tight spot. Ahmed Yacoub Ismail, head of the Sudanese Association of Students in eastern Chad’s Bregin camp told Radio Dabanga, “We have knocked on the doors of various organizations including the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), Unicef and the government. But all our attempts have failed.”

He appealed to the concerned authorities to look into and resolve the plight of the students and the refugees.