South Darfur students unable to able to register for exams

The parents of the students studying for the Sudanese Certificate (secondary school certificate) at Mukjar camp for the displaced, Central Darfur, have requested the authorities to bring a police team to the camp in order to register the students and issue ‘national numbers’ for them. The students are unable to travel to Zalingei for security and financial reasons. One of the students complained to Radio Dabanga about the linkage between the issuing of ‘national numbers’ with the registration for the secondary school final exams as well as the limited period set for the registration and application for a ‘national number’ in Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur state. Insecurity and poverty prevent the students in the camp for the displaced to travel to Zalingei to apply a ‘national number’ costing SDG500 ($113) besides travel and accommodation expenses. The student appealed via Radio Dabanga to the authorities either to send a police team to the camp for registration or organise free transport for the students to Zalingei. The shops of Mukjar market were closed on Saturday and residents fled to their homes after militiamen stormed the market and exchanged fire with the police. A witness told Radio Dabanga that militiamen stormed the market of Mukjar on Saturday with the purpose of looting. The police responded and exchanged fire with the attackers and forced them out of the city. The witness confirmed that the militiamen are waiting outside the city, threatening to burn the market if the police will not return the weapons they claim the police seized. The citizens fear that the militiamen will indeed attack the market again. File photo: An earlier student protest