Death of Darfur rebel leader sparks student brawl in Sudan’s capital
December 28, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – At least twelve students have been injured when violent clashes erupted at a Sudanese university on Wednesday between supporters of Darfur rebels and those of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).
Eye witnessed told Sudan Tribune that students affiliated to the Darfur rebels, Justice and equality Movement (JEM), whose leader Khalil Ibrahim was killed over the weekend, clashed with NCP’s students at Sudan University in downtown Khartoum, leading to a police crackdown in which teargas was heavily used.
According to the witnesses, the story began when JEM’s students held a gathering in which they denounced the Sudanese authorities for using force to disperse a mourning pavilion setup by the slain leader’s family in southern Khartoum.
They added that the confrontation started when NCP students responded by accusing Khalil of being a traitor.
As the clashes spiraled out of the university campus, police forces intervened and fired teargas to break up the altercating factions.
The sources reported that twelve students sustained injuries while others fell on the ground due to the teargas.
The death of Khalil Ibrahim and the wave of anti-government protests witnessed recently in some universities have evidently alarmed the authorities in Khartoum State whose governor last week announced the formation of a new security-monitoring unit comprised of 33 groups tasked specifically with countering “riot activities” in the capital.
(ST)