West Kordofan lecturer detained because of Darfuri students

The security authorities detained a lecturer at the University of West Kordofan in En Nahud on Thursday, against the backdrop of Darfuri students’ resignations. Darfuri students have collectively resigned at the University, due to the failure of its chancellor to investigate the targeting of Darfur students by the University’s administration. The Greater Darfur Students Association’s Secretary-General, Abdel Rafi Mohamed Ali, explained to Radio Dabanga: “The Darfur students have requested an investigation of administration members of the University, who were involved in targeting Darfur students in a couple of incidents.” This along with the denial of the opportunity to register for students from Darfur, Ali explained. The chancellor had promised to resolve the matters during the last meeting with the students association, in the presence of Dr Siddig Nurein, who is also supervisor of the association. The chancellor also called for a new meeting on Thursday. “We were surprised of the detention of Nurein on the same day of the meeting, and on the background of the association’s demands”, Ali said. The Darfur Students Association has affirmed to continue the collective resignations at the University until their demands are met, and Dr Siddig Nurein is released. Darfuri students’ protests in 2013 In September and October, Darfuri students throughout the Kordofan states demonstrated against unfair treatments in universities. Students of the Babanusa University in West Kordofan organised sit-ins against the University’s refusal to exempt Darfuri students from tuition fees, as agreed upon in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, signed in July 2011. File photo: Students from Darfur (Albert Gonzalez Farran/Unamid)Related: Police storms West Kordofan university, injures students and lecturer (27 December 2013) Babanusa students: ‘return of banned Darfuris or we quit’ (30 October 2013)