Students protest against mistreatment at national service camps

May 15, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — A series of protests and demonstrations at national service camps have occurred in the last two weeks and have led to some students fleeing, clashes and burning of property.

In Nahr Atbarah municipality, Kasala State, national service students started a fire in the camp following rioting by a group of students. In the ensuing chaos some students escaped from the camp.

Several students told the Khartoum based al-Watan that the riot was in protest against mistreatment by the trainers and harshness of the training routine. There were conflicting reports on the amount of damage caused due to the riots. Kassala State’s national service coordinator al-Baqir Mohamed Nur said the rioting was limited to a few students and had been contained.

In al-Damazin, Blue Nile State, some students deserted Al-Diysah camp during the chaos following clashes between the students and the camp’s administration. Al-Watan has learnt that clashes broke out following the camp administration’s refusal to assist one the students who had a severe chest infection. The sick student was later assisted and is currently being treated at al-Damazin hospital.

Clashes also broke out in National service student’s camps in al-Fashir, capital of west Darfur, last week following a demonstration by students in the camp in protest against reports that people had been killed in renewed violence in one of the displaced people’s camps in Zalinge.

Some students had left the camp. National service coordinator in the state Bashir al-Ajab said that the rioting had not be caused by the camp’s administration or the national service but was related to the Abuja agreement and incidents in Zalinge.

(ST)