South Darfur teachers strike after police raid school

Teachers in Nyala, South Darfur, announced a complete cessation of work in all stages on Tuesday after a police assault on teachers at the Nyala Secondary School on Monday. They also held a protest procession condemning the attack. The South Darfur state police chief admitted that an officer entered the Nyala School and verbally and physically assaulted a teacher.

In a memorandum, the teachers demand that the perpetrators of the attack to be brought to trial and an official apology from the state Ministry of Interior to all teachers. They referred to soldiers seizing teachers and transporting them in cars in a humiliating manner. They threatened to take the necessary escalation if their demands are not met.

Hashem Zakaria, one of the Nyala Secondary School teachers who were attacked, described the incident as a dangerous precedent. He said in an interview with the Talk of the Day programme on Radio Dabanga yesterday that the forces threw tear gas into the school and stormed the school under the pretext of tracking down students who participated in bread protests.

The teachers refused to let them enter, which led to arguments between the teachers and the commander of the police. The deputy school director was beaten with a baton, and a number of teachers were assaulted. The director, his deputy and three teachers were “detained in a humiliating manner,” transported the police station before being released them later.

Zakaria welcomed the formation of an investigation committee by the Ministry of the Interior, calling for teachers to own the outcome of the investigation.

Fact-finding committee

The South Darfur state police chief admitted that an officer entered the Nyala School and verbally and physically assaulted a teacher. He described it as an isolated incident of an officer at the service entrance, and denounced the creation of videos and the issuance of statements for the purpose of what he described as creating chaos and distrust.

And he noted the attempt to exploit the incident by whom he described as weak-minded. He announced that the officer has been suspended from work, that administrative measures have been taken and that the police commander has made mistakes.

The police command announced in a statement the follow-up to the urgent investigation into the video clip and taking deterrent and decisive measures towards its perpetrators, describing it as a totally unacceptable behaviour.

The acting Wali of South Darfur announced the formation of a neutral and transparent committee to investigate the facts about the attack on Nyala secondary school teachers and to take the necessary decisions in light of the report.

He explained that the director of police conveyed the apologies of the Ministry of Interior and police leaders to the teachers, and noted that what happened did not represent the police and that regular measures were taken against him. He threatened to prosecute those he described as “rumour mongers”.

Bread protests

Students in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, and in Atbara in River Nile state continued their demand demonstrations in protest against the increase in the prices of bread and transportation, and the students of Roseires in Blue Nile state joined the student demonstrations.

Students of the new and industrial schools of Atbara went out in massive demonstrations that roamed the town, denouncing the living situation and rejecting the coup. D

emonstrations also took place in Nyala, denouncing the increase in the prices of bread and transportation.

Students in Roseires, near the Blue Nile state capital Ed Damazin, joined the demand demonstrations, denouncing the living situation.

Dignity Response Parade

The Sudanese Teachers’ Committee announced a Return to Dignity procession to the Ministry of Interior and the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Khartoum for Thursday, to condemn the violations against Nyala teachers.

The committee said in a statement on Tuesday that it will hand over a memorandum containing a monitoring of all violence suffered by teachers, students and students inside and outside schools since the October 25, 2021 coup.

Teachers from other states, including Sennar, showed solidarity with the teachers of Nyala, and organized protests to condemn the attack.

The steering committee of the South Darfur Bar Association condemned the incident and announced its full readiness to provide legal aid to extract rights.