Dozens of South Sudanese student protesters have been carrying out a sit-in protest at the country's embassy in Cairo for more than a week even as South Sudanese diplomats threaten that Egyptian security forces will storm the embassy to end the protest.

The students say that they are suffering hardship in Egypt after the South Sudanese government failed to pay them stipends to help pay for rent and feeding. They are demanding back pay of 11 months of stipends.

Students' representative Kot Maker reported the protest to Radio Tamazuj in a message on 27 July saying, “We have seized the embassy since three days ago up to now there is no clear response from Minister John Gai.”

Again on Friday he reported, “We are still inside the embassy premise up to now for almost eight days. Nothing has been done by the minister of higher education.”

Another student, Garang Deng Ador said on Friday, “I am now staying inside the Embassy... and there has still not been any solution or anything new.” He said the South Sudanese ambassador in Cairo still had not even agreed to meet with them.

The protester said the students inside the embassy had set up a “distribution system” for sharing the expenses of feeding as they stayed there throughout the protest. Asked whetehr the protesters were also sleeping inside the embassy, he affirmed that they are staying their all day and night.

John Gai claimed there were between 100 and 120 students currently inside the embassy and overall about 160 sudents in Egypt are demanding payments from the embassy. According to Garang Deng, the South Sudanese student protesters are studying at seven different universities in Cairo, but he did not give a specific number of the protesters.

The spoksman of South Sudan's foreign ministry Mawien Makol told Eye Radio yesterday that the embassy had reopened after the week-long strike.

But Kot Maker denied that their protest is over. “That is totally lies, we are still inside the embassy premise. I just take that photo some minutes ago after we held meeting to discuss the way forward,” he said, referring to the photo of a group of students published with this report.

A letter from Education Minister John Gai Yoh, which is addressed to Ambassador Anthony Louise Kon but was shared with the students, says that the government does not have any money available to meet their financial demands.

The letter recommends that the students who cannot afford to stay in Cairo should end their studies and return home to South Sudan.

“The payment of the stipeneds is based on the availability of funds, as such the government will not be committed to pay these funds on regular basis given the current fiscal situation in the country... the students should understand that the stipends paid to them is a privelege but not a right,” said Gai.

He added, “Those students who are unable to bear with this situation and cuold not study under the above mentioned conditions should reigster their names in the office of the cultural attache so that they can be transported immediately back him.”

But Gai noted that students who leave Egypt now and later return to continue their studies will no longer be eligible for the stipends once funds become available again.

“For the rest who opted to abide by the current conditions, the government would like to thank them and promise to continue to pay their stipends when funds are available,” Gai said in the letter, which is dated 26 June and copied to President Salva Kiir and Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial.

Student protester Kot Maker responded to this saying, “Students strongly reject the minister's statement and their sit-in the embassy until our allowances are fully paid to us.”

Later on Friday, the students received a message from the embassy security advisor threatening them to leave the embassy today (Satuday) because the ambassador has reprotedly requested Egyptian security forces to storm the embassy at 2:00 p.m. today if they do not leave in the morning.

Kot responded to this saying, “We vow to resist any attempt by Egyptian security forces to storm the embassy by force will met by force from students side. Freedom ooyeee.”