In the aftermath of the outbreak of a civil war in mid-April, a group of medical students from Sudan found refuge in Rwanda, where they have been warmly welcomed to continue their studies.

Their original campus at the University of Medical Sciences and Technology in Khartoum, Sudan, was overtaken and converted into a base by armed fighters amid a power struggle involving paramilitary forces and the army.

Comprising 160 undergraduates, who were merely eight months away from completing their course, this group of students, predominantly consisting of women, has been provided with the opportunity to continue their education at the University of Rwanda.

Along with their lecturers, they have been offered space at the Rwandan university, where they will also have the chance to gain practical experience by working in local hospitals.

During a function in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, one of the students, Dina Abdalrahim Obaid, expressed the profound significance of the warm welcome they received in their new academic environment.

"We are grateful to Rwanda that offered us refuge and opportunity to continue our studies."

Vice-chancellor of the Sudanese institution Prof. Mamoun Mohamed Ali Homeida emphasized how fortunate they felt, as many other students had left to other nations "with no chance to carry on their studies."

The scholar continued: "We requested to come to Rwanda because we hope that when the war is over, our country will need medics."

Didas Muganga Kayihura, the vice-chancellor of the University of Rwanda, acknowledged that while the students are in Rwanda, they will continue their Sudanese coursework while receiving training in neighborhood hospitals.

According to officials, the student doctors were supposed to finish their training and then either go back home or, if violence persisted, be given the chance to serve in Rwanda or somewhere else.

In 2021, a private girls' boarding school relocated its pupils and staff to Rwanda after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan and outlawed women and girls from pursuing higher education.