Students protest eviction, high fees in South and North Darfur

Students of the University of Nyala were evicted from the dormitory on Sunday. Medical students at the University of El Fasher continue their protests against increased fees. In the Sudanese capital, six dismissed students have been re-admitted at the University of Khartoum.

An evicted student told Radio Dabanga that he is one of 150 who did not pay the amount of SDG1,000 ($163) for a bed in the dormitory.

The victims handed a memorandum to the chancellor today requesting him to intervene, “but we did not receive a reply yet”.

The source said that he and his 149 fellow students “don’t know where to go”.

Fees

In the North Darfur capital, the sit-in of students of the University of El Fasher’s Medical Faculty concluded its second week.

The students decided to suspend their studies 14 days ago in protest against the rise of the registration and tuition fees from SDG350 ($57) to SDG750 ($122).

On Sunday, they organised a demonstration in front of several faculties. They chanted slogans such as “No education in a painful environment” and “We will not pay!”.

The students have repeatedly stated that they cannot afford to pay the fees because of the difficult living conditions. Many of them are displaced and poor.

At the start of the strike, the Chancellor of El Fasher University, Osman Abdeljabbar, considered the protests “political”. He stressed that he would not cancel the fees, and threatened to close the lecture halls if the protests would continue.

On Sunday however, he said in the press conference that he would seek to address the matter.

University of Khartoum

In the Sudanese capital, Ahmed Mohamed Salman, the Chancellor of the University of Khartoum decided to re-admit six students who were dismissed earlier this year because of their participation in demonstrations following rumours about the sale of the university.

Students Fathi Mohamed Abdo, Nafisa Mohamed, Wifag Mohamed Gureshi, Muwaffag Mohamed, Hassan El Dei, and Ahmed Adam said they will continue to pressure for the return of the Students’ Union, the abolition of the “Jihadist Units” at the campus, and the investigation into the killing of Darfuri student Ali Abakar Musa Idris during a demonstration in March 2014.