During the 2019 Sudanese Revolution that led to the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir, universities became central sites of protest and subsequent repression. On April 11, 2019, security forces and militia groups loyal to al-Bashir stormed the campus of the University of Khartoum, Sudan’s oldest and most prestigious university. The attack targeted a peaceful sit-in organized by the Association of Sudanese University Professors, which had called for democratic reforms.

Security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition in university buildings, resulting in the deaths of two faculty members and injuries to dozens of students. Professor Ibrahim El-Sheikh, who chaired the university’s Political Science Department, was among those beaten and detained during the raid. He was held without charge for three weeks at the notorious Kober Prison, where he reported being interrogated about his academic work on democratic transitions.

In the aftermath of the attack, the military council that seized power conducted a purge of university leadership. At least 30 deans and department heads at the University of Khartoum were dismissed and replaced with regime loyalists. The Sudanese Professionals Association documented that 217 academics across the country were dismissed from their positions between April and September 2019 for their participation in pro-democracy activities.

The transitional government established in August 2019 reinstated many dismissed academics, but the university system had suffered significant damage. Research programs were disrupted, and many scholars fled the country, contributing to a severe brain drain.