On March 30, 2026, Sudanese security forces arrested several lecturers from Bakht Al-Ride University during a nationwide strike protesting deteriorating salaries.
Coordinated by the Sudanese University Professors Committee (LAJSO), the strike began on March 29 and reportedly achieved near-total participation across more than 30 public universities. The action followed years of demands for a revised salary structure.
Security forces detained between eight and ten professors during strike activities at Bakht Al-Rida University. They were kept overnight for interrogation. While most of the lecturers were released the following morning, several remained in custody. LAJSO condemned the arrests, defending the actions as a legitimate exercise of the right to strike.
Police also detained faculty from Kordofan University (see report) and University of the Holy Quran and Islamic Sciences University (see report).
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arrest and detention of academics in apparent retaliation for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly — conduct that is expressly protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, such incidents have a chilling effect on academic freedom and undermine democratic society generally.
Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.assayha.net/160393/
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https://www.acafafrica.org/monitoring.html#incident=17ccb82b-255b-415b-97b4-eb4cd02b19cc