By Tereza Jeremiah Chuei
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Deng Dau has urged South Sudanese students on Egyptian government scholarship who had been for a sit-in protest at the embassy in Cairo to vacate the premises.
Dau’s call came following reported harassment of the students at the embassy allegedly by Egyptian police where two were badly beaten to coma according to one of the student leaders.
The deputy Foreign Affairs minister revealed that there were thirty-one students who flocked to the South Sudan Embassy in Egypt, Cairo turning it into a home.
He however told No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper yesterday that some of the student have left the Embassy and back to their respective areas.
He urged the remaining students to do the same, unfolding that the government is trying its best to see how they should handle the incident.
In lateSeptember, hundreds of South Sudanese students were said to have enrolled in various Egyptian universities under the Country’s full scholarship. But they are protesting over poor living conditions within Egypt.
However, Deng Dau refuted the claim of students who allegedly stated that they were taken on a fully funded scholarship by Egypt, and later things took different twist for them.
The deputy minister rubbished the students claim saying they are false.
He then threw the ball to the Minister of Higher Education Gabriel Changson Chang, to response to the alleged fully funded Egyptian scholarship.
“It wasn’t a fully funded scholarship, ask the Minister of higher education” however when contacted minister Changson Chang couldn’t be reached despite several call attempts.
Dau then called on all the students within the South Sudan Embassy in Cairo to vacate and return to their respective areas.
“Some of the Students have left and others are still within the embassy which has even led the Embassy not to work because of their (students) presence within, therefore, I am urging them to go back to their schools,” he appealed.
He added that the government is doing its best to ensure that there is a solution to the students’ concerns in Egypt.
However, local media reported Monday that two students were nursing injuries, while 16 others were apprehended following the aftermath of a sit-in protest at the country’s Embassy in Cairo.
The two students included Wadar Machiek Wadar his colleague who refused to be named, were allegedly beaten to comma outside the embassy’s gate while trying to sneak-in food to their confined colleagues inside the embassy premises.
Both Machiek and his unnamed colleague were injured on the head after being hit with clubs by Cairo police.
Kuch Ngong, the chairperson of South Sudanese students’ committee in Egypt was quoted by Eye radio as saying the arbitrary beating of Machiek left his colleagues in panic that he might have died.
“I would love to assure the public that our brother is actually not killed. But he was unconscious for four hours due to the serious injuries he encountered,” he said.
“So he had been at a critical condition but he is now awake. He can speak with people and say hi despite the fact that we were scared. Even none of us knew he was going to be alive,” he told eye radio.
According to Ngong, at least a dozen of other students were arrested at the Embassy and in different parts of the capital, Cairo and their whereabouts is unknown.
The learners said since they started schooling last year, they have endured hardships despite raising their concerns with the school authorities.
Some of them say they have been barred from entering classrooms and hostels for exceeding certain age limits.
While those accommodated have been asked to pay monthly fees.