NATIONAL UNIVERSITY TO RESUME CLASSES NEXT WEEK

UNCLAS MASERU 000382 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/S E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC PGOV CASC LT SUBJECT: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY TO RESUME CLASSES NEXT WEEK REF: Maseru 378 ¶1. SUMMARY: Following Thursday's riots at National University of Lesotho (NUL),the atmosphere around the city of Roma and on campus is now calm and quiet. Students were evacuated from campus over the weekend and those reported injured have since been released from the hospital. End Summary. ¶2. The press conference that was set to take place on Friday, October 23, 2009, by the Principal Secretary of Finance and Development Planning, was instead held by the Director of National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS),who clarified issues leading to the riots. The Director indicated that the funds which had not been transferred were accommodation expenses for off-campus students only. Meanwhile, the All Basotho Convention Youth League continues to criticize the Ministers of Finance and Education for failing to address NMDS inefficiencies and mismanagement. It has been reported that students from five different institutions have experienced similar situations where payment of allowances has been delayed. ¶3. Local media and post sources at NUL confirm one death occurred as a result of the riot. The acting Vice Chancellor visited all injured students in the hospital, all of whom have since been released. All students were evacuated from campus on Friday, October 23, and over the weekend, Botswana sent buses to collect students funded by the government of Botswana and return them home, due to the uncertainty over the university's security situation. The campus has been calm since Friday, and classes are expected to resume on Monday, November 2. NOLAN