University of Bahr El Ghazal closes, orders students to leave

WAU—The administration of the University of Bahr el Ghazal has resolved to shut down the higher institution of learning indefinitely and send campus-based students home.

The decision follows a meeting held by the university’s management amid a strike. Prof Kuel Mauil Jok, Acting Vice Chancellor of Bahr El Ghazal University, said the administration consented to close the university and send students home.

“The Dean’s Board of the University of Bahr El Ghazal called for an emergency meeting on date 23/05/2025, chaired by Deputy Vice Chancellor for Admin and Finance, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Bahr El Ghazal to address the strike at the University,” he said in a letter released Friday.

“The meeting resolved the indefinite closure of the university and ordered evacuation of hotels by the students,” it added.

The temporary closure aims to give room to the administration to address protracted challenges facing the higher institution of learning. It was unclear when academic activities would resume.

The University of Bahr el Ghazal has faced multiple closures due to strikes, primarily driven by unpaid salaries. In October 2022, lecturers at the university went on strike over six months of unpaid salaries, leading to a suspension of academic activities.

The last time the University of Bahr el Ghazal shut down over a strike was during a six-month period that ended in April 2025.

The strike, initiated by the Academic Staff Association and Workers’ Trade Union due to unpaid salaries, was partially lifted on April 3, 2025, after the staff received their March 2025 salaries. Examinations for over 20,000 students resumed on April 14, 2025, a week after the strike was suspended.