WAU, SOUTH SUDAN – The “Pioneer Halls” at the University of Bahr el Ghazel (UBG), a prominent building dedicated to one of the region’s most distinguished academic and political figures, Prof. Moyses Machar Kachuol, has become a silent monument to a university in crisis.
The halls, named in honor of the former Vice President of Sudan and a past Vice-Chancellor of the university itself, stand empty. Their closure is not for a holiday, but is the direct result of a new, indefinite strike declared by the Academic Staff Association and Workers Trade Union.
The strike, which began this week, is a desperate measure by staff who have reportedly gone 11 months without their salary arrears.
“The decision to lay down their tools,” as stated by University Staff Association chairperson Joseph Lual Dario, brings all academic and administrative activities to a complete halt. This action paralyzes the institution and leaves the fate of thousands of students in limbo.
This latest shutdown is another blow in what has been a profoundly unstable year for the university.
The institution is still reeling from a strike in May 2025, which led to a months-long closure. An attempted reopening announced by the administration in July was limited to only first-year and final-year students, a “tactical step” that was met with further controversy over a new, increased tuition fee structure.
Now, just as the campus community was attempting to regain its footing, the unresolved issue of staff salaries has culminated in a full-blown stoppage. The “Pioneer Halls,” which should be bustling with the next generation of South Sudan’s leaders, are instead a stark symbol of the deep-seated financial issues plaguing the nation’s higher education system.
