Salid Mahmoud: violence against students is ‘racist phenomenon’

Salid Mahmoud, a Sudanese human rights lawyer, calls the recent arrests and killings of students a ‘new and racist phenomenon in Darfur’. Security forces have reportedly arrested 11 Darfurian students from the University of Zalingei, branch of El Geneina on Sunday. The students, including two female students, have not yet been released. The students were arrested during a protest against the poor living conditions and lack of services provided by the university. Security forces used violence and tear gas to disperse the protest. Incidents instill fear Among the 11 arrested students are Babiker Mohamed Adam, Hassan Musa Adam, Muhammad Hassan Abdo, Solomon Markaz Ahmad and Abdul Muttalib Adam Mohammed. Sources told Radio Dabanga they are now tortured by the security forces in El Geneina. Salid Mahmoud, who won the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, told Radio Dabanga today that the arrests of students in Darfur in universities becomes a trend. He said students are now also targeted by security forces outside the universities. Mahmoud explained that the recurrence of the incidents instill fear among Sudanese people and Darfurians in particular. He places the killing of student Abdul Hakim Abdullah Musa, the student killed by security authorities last week in the new trend. According to the human rights lawyer, Musa’s death is inseparable linked to a series of assassinations that specifically target students of different universities in Darfur. ‘Break the silence’ He said it is unacceptable no officials made statements yet on the arrests and killings. Neither were efforts made by the authorities to make the prosecutions of the students transparent for the public: ‘it is the responsibility of political leaders, human rights defenders and civil society organizations to break the silence and indifference on the recent incidents.’