Khartoum, April 01 (Darfur24)
The Sudanese University Professors Committee (LJSU) stated on Tuesday that several professors from Kordofan University were arrested by security authorities in Al-Obeid, North Kordofan State, following a nationwide strike over salary issues.
According to a statement seen by Darfur24, the arrests came after professors launched a strike on Sunday, demanding the approval of a long-delayed salary structure and service regulations. The committee said the detained professors were arrested and interrogated for exercising their “legitimate right to strike.”
The statement named those arrested or summoned, including Dr. Abdul Nasser Abdul Rahim, Dr. Obaidullah Ahmed Al-Hajj, Dr. Hamza Adam Youssef, Dr. Al-Fatih Al-Siddiq Abdul Faraj, Dr. Mujtaba Muhammad Salam, Dr. Al-Zein Musa Juma, Othman Ahmed Khamis, Dr. Omar Al-Shafi Ahmed, Dr. Muhammad Mahdi Muhammad Ali, Dr. Al-Sadiq Al-Qasim Farhana, and Dr. Qasim Ahmed Hamed.
The committee called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees, an end to summonses and investigations, and respect for freedom of expression within universities. It also urged authorities to respond to professors’ demands regarding wages and service conditions.
LJSU held the relevant authorities responsible for the safety of those detained and stated that it would pursue legal measures regarding the arrests. Its legal committee condemned what it described as harassment of academic staff and appealed to lawyers and human rights defenders to intervene.
The strike, now in its third day, follows recommendations by a Cabinet technical committee in 2023 to approve a revised salary structure and employment regulations for university professors, which have yet to be implemented.