By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Sudanese Prime Minister has directed that universities in the country’s capital, Khartoum, be reopened for academic activities two years after they were shut down due to war between the army and a paramilitary group.
Kamil El-Tayib Idris, in a memo addressed to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, directed that a proper assessment of the damages and repairs be conducted following the attacks on university buildings and research centres.
The war, which broke out in April 2023, has severely affected the country’s education sector, with many institutions in Khartoum in total ruin.
The Prime Minister also directed the National Centre for Curricula and Educational Research to include lessons capable of enhancing peace, national unity and rejecting hate speech as the country journeys through national recovery and reconciliation.
No specific date has been given for the reopening of universities.
The war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to data, has killed at least 24,000 people.
It has driven about 13 million people from their homes, including 4 million who crossed into neighbouring countries, causing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Parts of the country have been pushed into famine. Several efforts to broker peace between the warring parties have been unsuccessful.
