Government–Abdel Wahid Movement Contacts Advance Student Access to National Examinations in Jebel Marra

Officials from the Sudanese government and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahid Mohamed Noor confirmed on Saturday that contacts are underway between the two sides regarding the education issue, with a particular focus on enabling students in the Jebel Marra area to sit for the intermediate and secondary school certificate examinations.

A government official in South Darfur State, aligned with the Sudanese Armed Forces, told Darfur24 that the ongoing coordination with the movement has yielded positive outcomes for students in Jebel Marra. He explained that joint efforts facilitated the delivery of the ministry’s certified “gold copy” of primary and intermediate examination papers last December, enabling approximately 12,000 pupils to sit for their exams.

The official added that the South Darfur State Ministry of Education had, at an early stage, coordinated the travel of the movement’s education sector representative, Hussein Nasr—head of education in West Jebel Marra—to South Sudan. There, he held meetings with officials at the Sudanese Embassy in Juba in early January to coordinate arrangements for Sudanese certificate examinations in areas under the movement’s control in Darfur.

He further revealed that a recent meeting between the government and the movement addressed the Sudanese certificate examinations, with both sides agreeing to convene a follow-up meeting to finalize key arrangements. These include provisions for students who were unable to sit for the examinations scheduled for April 13, as well as the designation of examination centers within the movement-controlled areas and external centers in neighboring countries.

The official confirmed that approximately 144 students have been registered in East Jebel Marra, within Deribat locality, while 114 female students from Jebel Marra have already arrived in River Nile State through full coordination between civilian and military authorities on both sides. He noted that around 80 additional students are expected to reach army-controlled areas shortly to sit for their examinations, having undertaken long and difficult journeys to access designated centers.

He pointed out that coordination between the government and the movement on education—particularly examinations—predates the outbreak of conflict in April 2023, when students were permitted to sit for exams in government-controlled areas of South Darfur State.