Security forces have forcefully evicted students from the University of Bahr el Ghazal girl’s hostel. The incident unfolded on Thursday as security personnel entered the hostel premises and ordered the students to vacate immediately.
This event follows a two-day standoff between protesting students and security forces sparked by the University administration’s decision to raise tuition fees.
Tensions escalated earlier in the week when students openly demonstrated against the tuition fee hike, leading to the deployment of security forces around the university campus.
On the preceding Wednesday, the university’s deputy vice chancellor for administration and finance, Dr. Hawa Marjan, revealed that students had blockaded the main administration area throughout the day, necessitating their rescue by security personnel who escorted them to their residences.
Several female students who preferred to remain anonymous spoke to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday evening. They conveyed their surprise and dismay at the morning intrusion by security forces into their hostel.
One student shared, “We are very disappointed with what has been happening within the university administration since the last few days. Around 7:30 to 8:00 in the morning, we were surprised to see soldiers and other three plain-clothes security operatives in our hostel. They told us that they have come from the administration to inform us to leave the hostel within 24 hours.”
The students’ attempts to seek clarification from the dean of student affairs were met with a dismissive response. “However, one of us called the dean of students affairs about the matter. The dean of students affairs responded that he did not need any students in the hostel. He told us that if someone has relatives, they should move in with that relative,” a student stated.
Expressing their concerns about the situation, some students implored the government to intervene, especially given that many of them hail from different states across South Sudan.
A student questioned, “If the government is listening to us as its citizens of South Sudan, we will wait for the government because it is not possible that I, as a South Sudanese, should suffer in my country. Is it because I am a child of a poor person or what?”
Another student highlighted the apparent gender bias in the university’s actions, stating, “We thought that our government could stand with the students but now it is against us. We really don’t know because this problem looks like it is targeting only females. When we asked the boys from the two hostels, they told us no one asked them to leave the hostel. We are not making violence in our country, but we are asking for our rights.”
The situation in the hostel grew more dire, with one student describing their detention by security personnel since morning. “Currently, we are in a bad situation. We have been detained since morning. The security personnel have been detaining us in the hostel. Since we live in the hostel, we don’t have any houses here in Wau. Some of us come are coming from different states and don’t have relatives here.”
Students emphasized that their actions were peaceful and aimed at asserting their rights. “We were just peacefully fighting for our rights. We did not take the law into our hands. We did not go into any office to create violence. We are just voicing our voices as citizens on our rights as South Sudanese. They don’t want to understand the current economic situation imposed on us,” one student explained.
In response to the University of Bahr el Ghazal administration’s decision to evict students from their hostels, Stephen Robo Musa, the state coordinator for Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), criticized the move.
Musa advocated for a peaceful resolution through dialogue between the students and the university. He commented, “For us as CEPO, the closure of the university is not a solution to the problem of the students. It is clear that these students are demanding their rights. There should be a dialogue to reach a lasting solution, but it appears that there is no point of dialogue and this is why the result led to the closure of the university.”
Musa urged the university administration to seek a prompt and lasting solution, as the situation had not only disrupted student lives but also raised security concerns due to the presence of a large number of security forces.
He emphasized, “The presence of a large number of security forces near the university gives a threat signal to the civilians. Chasing students from their hostel has a big impact and points to a clear threat.”
The University Deans’ Board responded to the escalating turmoil by ordering the closure of the institution. Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Peter Atem Deng Yom read a statement explaining that the university’s closure was a consequence of the chaos arising from students’ petitions against the tuition fee adjustments.
Dr. Peter Atem clarified, “The Dean Board, on its emergency meeting number 3 dated 15 August 2023 about the current chaotic situation caused by the senior students on their petition against the adjustment of the tuition fees has caused instability and insecurity situation inside the university campus, therefore, to restore orders and protect the lives and the properties of the university, I professor Dr. Peter Atem Deng Yom, the acting vice chancellor of the University of Bahr el Ghazal have decided to close the university for an indefinite period.”