The Foreign Ministry has admitted that its Cairo Embassy is overrun by South Sudanese university student protesters who are living inside the embassy premises refusing to leave until the government provides them with living allowances to continue their eduction.

“You know the staff cannot come to the embassy because the students have occupied the embassy and they are in the entire embassy premises,” said Mawien Makol Ariik, foreign ministry spokesman, admitting that embassy staff have been advised to stay home. He was speaking on Radio Miraya. 

Student leader Kot Maker told Radio Tamazuj from inside the embassy in Cairo that the situation was “not yet resolved at all,” after the Ministry of Education failed to meet their demands. They are seeking payment of stipends that the government stopped paying owing to lack of funds, blaming the fiscal shortfall on the current civil war.

Kot said the students sleeping inside the embassy find it difficult to get enough food and clean drinking water: “We are just surviving on own small contributions we do on daily basis, we are still inside the embassy for almost 20 days today, and no clear response from minister of higher education.”

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Student protesters still inside South Sudan's Cairo Embassy (4 July)

Courtesy Photo/Kot Maker