SUDAN - CALL TO END VIOLENT ATTACKS AGAINST DARFUR FEMALE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

 6 men wearing women Jilbab and face veiled, entered the girls dorm in Khartoum University, and attacked the Darfuri female students in the dorm. “They were shouting ( ALLAH Akbar= God is the Greatest), and they were carrying big knives, they just started beating us, Iman a first year lost her finger, when one of the attackers injured her hand with his big knife, and during the fight they manger to unveil them” said (A-S) one of the dorm girls, she continued describing that horrific night saying “ Asmaa , a first year student also in Khartoum University, severely injured in her hand, also while she was fighting with the attackers armed by knives. We couldn’t sleep that night and we kept awake until our colleagues came back from hospital”.

The Darfuri female student struggle started on November 26^th, when they protested the denial of free registration and the tuition waiver in the university and the dorms by the Khartoum University administration. And when the administration refused all their appeals and denied the fresh students from entering the dorms ad the university for free the Female students decided to take to the street. The free registration and the tuition waiver for Darfuri students is one of the rare accomplishments of the peace agreement between Darfur rebels groups and the Sudanese government. Darfur region is witnessing conflict since 2002 ,  where at least 200 thousands peoples died and 2 million are living in IDPs camps, which led to the indication of the Sudanese Omar Albashir of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by the international Criminal court.

During the female students protests on November 26^thand 27^th , more than 250 female students took the street and beaten violently  by the police and the security , 2 of the female student were severely injured and when they were went to the hospital they denied medical care for many hours, because the students wanted to have medical report to file a police report against the police and security members injured them, one of the girls has heart problem and she had been beaten on her chest which led to her to deteriorated her heart problem. The girls struggle with the dorms administration continued, as the dorms administration and the Sudanese security considered the girls in the dorm are the main trouble makers in the university, because they were the spark of the Sudan Revolt, few months ago, there for the guards in the dorms doors replaced by National Security elements, and the dorm girls were forced to be searched in the doors and the security was intimidating them every day.

On December 7^th, new development took place when 4 Darfuri male students found dead in a water canal near Aljazeer University, the four were detained by the National security and harassed during protesting against their University, because they denied also the fresh students the right to the tuition waiver. This accident led to wide protests in the Sudanese universities, and accompanied with violent crackdown from the Sudanese security. The Darfuri girls in the Khartoum University girls dorms, were in the frontline of the protests , which led to the night and day attacks and intimidations in the days 12 and 13 of December.

On the same day of December 13^th , around 2:00PM, new attack on the Darfuri female students inside the dorms took place. “ one of the female security members entered the dorm while were sleeping because were awake all the night and found Sara in one of the rooms alone, the female security element , started beating her and asking her about other students and where is their rooms and their houses, and when she refused to give her any information, the security element shaved her hair, and that was Sara screamed very loudly and we woke up and started beating the female security element until we found her security identification card, and then she ran away”, said (A-S).

The Darfuri students in the Khartoum University girls dorms are living in constant fear for their lives, and they found no protection from the dorm or the university administration. The attack on the Darfuri girls is spreading the suffering of the women and girls of Darfur , as they are victims of mass rapes since the war erupted in their region a decade ago, and the few girls survived the harsh living  conditions in the IDPs camps and managed to enter the university they face violent attack from the Sudanese government inside the universities, and the government deny its obligation toward them to provide them free education as part of the compensation for Darfuri peoples affected by the war.

Arry Organization, calls on the Sudanese government to investigate this violent attacks and present the responsible persons to justice disregarding their positions or impunities. We also call on them stop the extreme use of force against peaceful students protestors and we call them to respect the right of freedom of assembly.