South Sudanese students studying at Zimbabwean universities have occupied their country’s embassy in Harare.
The students are protesting their government’s failure to pay outstanding fee balances.
One of the student leaders, James Maluach Malek told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that 79 students were denied their academic transcripts due to unpaid fees. He said:
We also need food because the universities refused to give us food after the government failed to pay arrears.
The number of South Sudan students inside the embassy is about 130. We are students from five different universities in Zimbabwe.
South Sudan’s ambassador to Zimbabwe Butros Thok Deng confirmed that students had indeed occupied the embassy. He said:
The information we have is that some money has been approved by the council of ministers, and we are just waiting for the government to respond.
I am also coordinating with the universities here so that the students are not expelled from the universities.
Deng pleaded with the students to return to their respective universities as the government works on meeting their needs.