Damanga Saddened by attacks on darfurian students

June 12, 2008

        Members of the Darfur Students’ League were brutally attacked by the National Congress Party and its supporters on Sunday, June 8th 2008. The Students’ League members were conducting a peaceful assembly at the University of Khartoum, when they were attacked with blunt objects by NCP members. The NCP was later joined by the local police and the National Security & Intelligence Service. Many students were injured during the altercation and some still remain hospitalized in Khartoum.

       Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy is deeply saddened by this news that has been brought to our attention today. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the victims of this tragic repression of rights. Damanga knows that the police are, by law, required to respect the rights of the citizens, including their right to conduct a peaceful assembly. This requirement has clearly been neglected. Sources are saying that the attacks on the students were brutal, invoking the use of acid in students’ faces and other sensitive body parts as well as the gouging out of students’ eyes. Damanga feels that what these students need now is immediate action from the United Nations. They are in desperate need of medical attention and, with the government as it stands, it is attention they will not receive.