Sudan professors’ strike enters third day as more arrests reported

Sudanese university professors continued a nationwide open-ended strike for a third consecutive day yesterday, with organisers reporting full participation, as security forces reportedly arrested academics and dispersed protest activities.

The Sudanese University Professors Committee said the strike reached a 100 per cent response rate on Monday, up from 95 per cent on its first day, though Radio Dabanga could not independently verify the figures.

The committee reported that security forces in El Obeid detained 11 professors from the University of Kordofan for taking part in the strike and organising a protest vigil.

According to the committee, tens of thousands of professors across 35 universities participated in coordinated protest vigils, both inside campuses and at main gates, raising banners outlining their demands.

‘Growing union movement’

The strike marks a significant escalation in Sudan’s trade union activity, with professors demanding the implementation of a revised salary structure and improved conditions of service.

Professional groups, including teachers’ and union bodies, have expressed solidarity with the strike, while further industrial action is reportedly being prepared by workers in higher education institutions.

A teachers’ committee has also formed a higher strike body as part of what it described as an escalating campaign over wages, arrears and working conditions.

Trade union observers say the wave of strikes reflects mounting economic pressure on workers amid rising prices and inflation and could signal a broader revival of organised labour activity across Sudan.

Radio Dabanga was unable to independently verify arrest figures or participation rates.

‘Arrests and dispersal of protests’

Radio Dabanga reported yesterday on the crackdown on academics highlighted by the Sudanese University Professors Committee, with security forces in Blue Nile state’s capital of Ed Damazin reportedly detaining professors from Bakht El Reda University over the strike, while most were later released and at least two remained in custody.

At the University of the Holy Quran and Islamic Sciences in Omdurman, police also dispersed a protest vigil and briefly detained two academics. The committee condemned the arrests and called for the release of those still held.