The Darfur Students Association at Babanusa Peace University in South Kordofan state led sit-in protests against a decision by the university administration to cancel tuition fee exemptions for students from Darfur.

Such tuition exemptions have been practiced by a number of Sudanese universities since a provision for exemptions was included in a peace agreement with a Darfur rebel group in 2006.  But this year at Babanusa Peace University the administration decided to impose the normal fees on first-years students registering from Darfur.

Contacted by phone, a number of students in Babanusa told Radio Tamazuj that last week they gave the university administration an ultimatum to reverse the policy within 72 hours.

The university failed to meet the deadline. The administration has clarified that they will give exemptions only to Darfur students from displaced camps -- a position the Darfur students’ group rejects.

Students threatened to resign en masse from the university should the administration fail to respond to new written demands.