Khartoum - Abedalgoum Ashmeag
Incident was prompted after Vice President, Haj Adam Youssef, attended a university ceremony
Student rooms at the University of Khartoum were set ablaze as political rivalry broke out into violence at the Sudanese university. The clash was prompted by Vice President, Haj Adam Youssef’s attendance at the university’s graduation
ceremony, held last Thursday. The Vice President was greeted with peals of anti-government chants.
According to a source at the university, 27 rooms were set alight whilst six students were injured. These students are currently receiving treatment in Khartoum's main hospital.
The University's Director, Professor Mustafa Haity expressed his deep regret following the incident. In a statement to the press, he promised to support the affected students and set up an investigation committee to find and penalise the students responsible.
The facts surrounding the incident are shrouded under finger-pointing and rumour. Regime loyalists blame Islamist organisations on campus whereas opponents of the regime have pinpointed government supporters as being responsible for the arson.
A spokesperson from the University of Khartoum’s press office stated: “The academic process is proceeding as per its usual schedule, despite the unfortunate incident. Everyone is waiting for the reports of the investigation to move forward from here.”
A police source told Arabstoday that a small group of students set the student rooms on fire, however damage was minimised as civil defence forces extinguished the blaze immediately.
Ali Mahmoud Hassanein, Secretary-General of the Islamist National Front issued a statement condemning the attack and blamed Sudanese authorities. Hassanein stated that the incident was spurred by the visit of the Vice President, despite student protests against his attendance. He called for all student supporters of the National Front to stand firm in their defiance of the incumbent regime.