University in dispute with Darfuri students over tuition fees

The University of Al Neelain has refused to allow 5210 students of the Darfur Students Assocation to enter the campus unless they pay the tuition fees. One of the student activists at the university said that there are just 13 days left until their exams and neither the university administration nor the authorities are concerned. The activist called for the intervention of all the good people and sons of Darfur to solve the problem. He also specifically asked for help from the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority (TDRA), a body headed by ex-rebel Minni Minawi. The TDRA is the principal organ for implementation of the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement, which promised “exemption from the payment of school fees for new students of Darfurian origin at all levels, for a period of five years.” The administration however, distinguishes between three categories of students: normally enrolled students, remotely participating studies, and adult students. Within all these categories there are Darfuri students, but the majority are not counted within the first category. Al Neelain University is located in Khartoum.