Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday following the arrest of 26 high school students who were accused of leaking exam papers and mass cheating.
Makram also met Tuesday with the parents of arrested Egyptian students to discuss their situation, state-run news agency MENA reported.
Osama Shaltout, Egypt’s ambassador in Sudan, told MENA that Makram will meet with Sudanese officials in Sudan’s foreign ministry to discuss the potential of releasing the Egyptian students.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the ministry is closely following the students’ arrest by communicating with security officials in Sudan and stressing the necessity of the students’ immediate release.
The statement also mentioned the total number of arrested Egyptian students could be more than 26, and Sudanese authorities have also arrested students from other nationalities for the same reason.
The whereabouts of the arrested students remain unknown, according to one of the student’s relatives.
Saeed Al-Shamry, an uncle of one of the arrested students, said during a phone interview with ONTV channel on Monday that they have received no details regarding the students and the neither the ministry nor embassy officials have contacted them regarding their locations.
He also expressed his concern regarding the charges against the students, saying: “[The Egyptian students] are not responsible for leaking the exams, and the Sudanese authorities should rather ask the Sudanese people about it.”
