Over 400 South Sudanese students studying in Egypt stage a sit-in protest at the Embassy in Cairo. (Photo: Courtesy).

South Sudanese students in Egypt have blamed the government in Juba for mutely responding to their dire situation amid a sit-in protest at the country’s Embassy in Cairo.

The students decry a ‘difficult’ situation after the embassy down-scaled their basic needs, while being locked inside the embassy premises without permission to look for food, since the start of the protest on Thursday.

“Since Thursday up to now, three days from now, we are under serious humanitarian condition. We have no water, food or electricity,” said Chol Kuec, one of the students.

He added that the South Sudan Ambassador to Egypt has instructed security operatives guarding the embassy to confine the students inside the premises, a claim Eye Radio could not verify.

“Security agents that were instructed by the ambassador, confined us inside from going out to look for food and do not allow our colleagues to bring for us the basic needs,” he said.

Chol also told this radio station, that seven of them have fallen six while others are starving due to the situation.

“Seven students are already lying down now with the deteriorating health and hunger related conditions”

Earlier on Thursday, hundreds of the students, enrolled in various Egyptian universities under full scholarship staged protests over poor living conditions at Egyptian campus.

In a statement, the learners said since they started schooling last year, they have been enduring hardship despite raising their concerns with the school authorities.

“All the basic needs are inaccessible. You cannot get food, water or electricity despite, our colleagues are trying hard to bring for us the needs but are prevented from entering,” Kuc Osman said in an interview with Eye Radio from Egypt on Sunday.

Another student named Abuk adds: “The situation is getting worse because we have days now without food. Moreover we do not have water since they have cutoff the point. We have never taken shower since Thursday up to now and you know the importance of water to us (ladies).”

The students are calling on Juba government to intervene on the matter in the shortest time.

“The government should intervene into this matter as the situation is getting out of control. Otherwise, some of students will lose their lives,” Abuk said.

The 400 students have invaded the embassy under different circumstances.

But Abuk, like many others, complain that their scholarship status has been removed.

Some of them say they have been barred from entering class rooms and hostel for exceeding certain age limits, while those accommodated have been asked to pay monthly fees.

For others, the issue is their universities are imposing specific courses that do not suit their interest.

“You can’t send children to the foreign countries without responsibility. Let our parents know that the scholarship we had signed for is no longer a fully funded,” said Osman.

“So that they decide either to start supporting us or take us back home.”

It is not the first time students studying under scholarship program have occupied South Sudan embassy in the North African country, neither is it the first time for South Sudanese students studying abroad to voice grievances related to their schooling.

In February this year, South Sudanese students on government scholarship at Suez University in Egypt occupied the embassy in Cairo for four days, demanding the government to clear their credit-hour arrears.

Over the years, students studying in countries like Ethiopia and Zimbabwe have reported a number of academic challenges, with some being barred from graduating due to tuition fees.

In May 2020, seven South Sudanese students nursed wounds after they were reportedly assaulted by Ethiopian police while demanding their Coronavirus incentives at the South Sudan embassy in Addis Ababa.

Students on government scholarship in Zimbabwe also camped at the country’s embassy in Harare twice in 2017 and 2020 over unpaid tuition fees.

Eye Radio’s efforts to reach South Sudan Embassy in Cairo went unsuccessful.

When contacted, the National Minister of Higher Education Changson Chang said he is yet to receive the information.