University Students Protest at GPOC HQ Over Unpaid Tuition Commitments

A group of university students from South Sudan’s oil-producing regions staged a peaceful protest on Monday morning at the headquarters of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) in Juba, demanding the company fulfill its promise to cover their tuition fees. The protest resulted in the brief arrest of several students, according to Khamis Othow Omot, Chairperson of the Student Union. “They were arrested, but they’ve now been released and are back at their office,” Omot told Aweil News Agency. He emphasized that the protest was peaceful and organized to draw attention to what he described as a broken promise by GPOC. The student leader warned that the situation remains unresolved and that many affected students may have missed their exams due to the financial uncertainty. The students are calling on GPOC to honor its financial commitment and engage in immediate dialogue. Efforts to get a response from GPOC and police officials were unsuccessful at the time o...