Tuesday October 15, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) — The Somali Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education has announced the opening of scholarships for 30 Sudanese students seeking higher education in Somalia.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Ministry highlighted the historical support Sudan has extended to Somalia, mainly when Somalia had no functioning government.
"The Government of Sudan is one of the unforgettable governments that supported our country and our people by providing scholarships for higher education when there was no Somali government in place," the Ministry said.
The statement added that this initiative is part of Somalia's broader efforts to foster educational and cultural cooperation between Somalia and the Republic of Sudan.
The Somali Embassy in Sudan welcomed the decision, praising the Ministry for its solidarity with the Sudanese people during a time of hardship. "This is an important step for Somalis to show their support for their Sudanese brothers and sisters, as the ongoing conflict in Sudan has led to the closure of most universities, severely disrupting the education of many students," the embassy said in a statement.
The Sudanese civil war, which began last year, has death toll estimates that vary wildly. According to medics in the region, the number of people killed could be between 20,000 and an even more horrifying 150,000. This follows some 2 million deaths over two wartorn decades in South Sudan and Darfur. It is estimated that since April 2023, more than 7 million Sudanese have been driven from their homes and face starvation in the desert. Their stories rarely feature in the news.