Parents have expressed concern and fear over their children's safety in Sudan following the ongoing military coup in the North African country.
A section of the parents have reached out to human rights organisations, urging them to intervene on this pertinent issue. The parents stated that they are yet to reach their children in the past 24 hours since the military coup took place on Monday, October 25.
Speaking to the media, a representative from Muslim for Human Rights (MUHURI), affirmed that they had received many calls from worried parents.
He noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ought to intervene in this situation and rescue the Kenyan children studying in Sudan.
"My director has been receiving calls from parents whose children are studying in Khartoum, Sudan and this is a big concern. The big issue is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should update on what's happening in Sudan and the status of our children in the country. But now there is tension, people are worried, since there's no proper communication from Sudan or Kenya."
"To the students, wherever they are, we are urging them to hold on and be safe as it is the sole responsibility of the Kenyan government to rescue them," he stated.
He compared the current situation to the time in 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic had hit and the government rescued the children studying in neighbouring countries by arranging flights to fly them back to the country. He noted that this was a more dire situation and prompt action needed to be taken.
His sentiments were echoed by one of the parents' representative, Zainab Ali, who pointed out that most of the students were expected to finish their studies soon.
She added that some of the students who had graduated and were expected to fly back to the country, were stuck in the country as all flights had been cancelled.
"I urge all the students to stay within university premises at the moment. If the Sudanese government will not allow flights, then the alternative is by road, it might take at least three days of travel," she acknowledged.
The coup in Sudan has caused a sudden unrest as the military, led by leader General Abdel Fattah Burhan, dissolved civilian rule, arrested political leaders and declared a state of emergency.
This has seen the country turn into a war-torn region and demonstrators have taken to the streets to protests the arrests of various political leaders. As a result, numerous people have been injured and several killed as the country battles to restore peace.
