{"id":20116426,"date":"2025-05-03T20:57:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T18:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20116426"},"modified":"2025-05-04T12:13:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T10:13:52","slug":"sudan-war-turns-journalism-deadly-amid-killings-arrests-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/sudan-war-turns-journalism-deadly-amid-killings-arrests-threats","title":{"rendered":"Sudan war turns journalism deadly amid killings, arrests, threats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Prepared by Sudan Tribune<\/a><\/em> for Sudan Media Forum<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudanese journalists face extreme danger amid the war that erupted in mid-April 2023, turning their profession deadly with reporters targeted by killings, gunfire and arrests, the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate (SJS) said.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SJS has documented numerous attacks by warring parties, particularly the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to syndicate reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deadly gamble<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One journalist, identified only as ‘H’, recounted a perilous reporting trip last March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After getting security clearance, his team travelled from Omdurman towards Khartoum when an army vehicle ahead of them came under a hail of bullets, he told Sudan Tribune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoments of panic struck everyone,\u201d H. said, adding that army forces returned fire, allowing the team to proceed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said death remains the \u201cclosest danger\u201d facing reporters in Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n

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UNESCO\u2019s World Press Freedom Day 2025 highlights the impact of artificial intelligence on journalism under the theme: Reporting in the Brave New World \u2013 The Impact of AI on Press Freedom and the Media<\/em>
(Image: UNESCO\/Marc James)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Systematic targeting, violations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirty journalists, including five women, have been killed since the war began, a recent SJS report showed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporters have faced arrests, detention, abuse and torture, with most killings resulting from direct gunfire or torture in detention centres run by conflict parties, the syndicate said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SJS Freedoms Secretariat documented 509 violations against journalists in 2024, including four recent arrests, said Secretariat head Iman Fadl Al-Sayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six criminal complaints were recently filed against journalists, adding to existing cases, and four journalists, including one woman, remain detained by warring parties, Fadl Al-Sayed said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International support, displacement challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is coordinating support for Sudanese journalists stranded by the war, said Osama Boughaela, the group\u2019s East Africa Advocacy Officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct aid has reached 38 journalists inside Sudan or in neighbouring countries like Kenya, Uganda and Egypt, he told Sudan Tribune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support focuses on financial aid for basic needs, as displaced journalists face challenges with residency permits and administrative issues, Boughaela said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RSF is also providing training and leading an international advocacy campaign, warning of the dire situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe goal is to ensure journalists\u2019 protection, facilitate their safe resettlement, and defend their right to report information freely despite the harsh conditions,\u201d Boughaela said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While several international groups offer aid, displaced journalists still \u201cendure unstable conditions\u201d and face numerous problems due to the conflict and unemployment, the report noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grave professional challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond security risks, professional challenges are immense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 90% of media institutions have been destroyed, forcing shutdowns, the SJS estimates. Hundreds of journalists lost their jobs and income as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political activists and military personnel have entered the media field, altering the professional landscape, reporters say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Press freedom has sharply deteriorated. Many independent journalists see the war as a setback that \u201cdashed their hopes\u201d for free media after the 2019 December Revolution that ousted long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir, the report added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specter of bias<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The war has fuelled media bias, with some journalists and outlets appearing to favour one side, violating objectivity standards, analysts and journalists say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coverage sometimes adopts narratives serving one party or spreads inaccuracies about the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the war began, some outlets have shown a tendency to present one-sided stories, while warring parties classify journalists by perceived loyalty and refuse cooperation with those deemed sympathetic to the enemy, according to reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impact on society<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media bias directly shapes public opinion and can sow confusion about the truth, said social researcher Thuraya Ibrahim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She told Sudan Tribune she had observed some journalists attempting to steer interviews to fit a certain narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome journalists try to direct experts\u2019 statements to serve their biases,\u201d Ibrahim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She urged objective reporting to counter rumours and warned against fabricated news designed to distract from real issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The media has a significant responsibility to report objectively and cover violations ethically, respecting victims and sources, Ibrahim stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accusations and counter-narratives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accusations and counter-narratives from warring parties further complicate journalists\u2019 work, with factual reporting often branded as bias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parties accuse reporters and agencies of working for the enemy to intimidate or co-opt them, journalists said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporters confirmed their organizations have been accused by both<\/em> sides, without proof, in attempts to force them to engage with or publish propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Sudanese correspondent for a foreign agency, speaking anonymously, called the working conditions \u201cextremely dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he had been detained more than 10 times and interrogated by security services over reports deemed sensitive, including one on alleged killings by an army-allied battalion in Khartoum\u2019s Halfaya district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ongoing risks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risks persist inside Sudan and extend to neighbouring countries, excluding Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some neighbouring states restrict Sudanese journalists\u2019 movements, deny work permits or exert pressure on them to leave, reporters said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journalist A, in one such country, said authorities repeatedly denied him a permit. Journalist M, in another, described official stalling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside Sudan, four anonymous journalists cited risks including killing, injury, arrest, kidnapping, threats and displacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They reported difficulties obtaining information from officials in the government\u2019s Port Sudan base, who sometimes withhold it or refuse access based on the outlet\u2019s perceived affiliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical challenges like poor internet and power cuts, the spread of fake news amid a lack of independent monitors, and movement restrictions imposed by warring parties add to the difficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This report was prepared by Sudan Tribune<\/a><\/em> and published via the platforms of Sudan Media Forum<\/a><\/em> member organisations on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day<\/a> to shed light
on the situation of journalism and journalists in Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#SilenceKills #\u0627\u0644\u0635\u0645\u062a_\u064a\u0642\u062a\u0644 #NoTimeToWasteForSudan #\u0627\u0644\u0648\u0636\u0639_\u0641\u064a_\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0648\u062f\u0627\u0646_\u0644\u0627\u064a\u062d\u062a\u0645\u0644_\u0627\u0644\u062a\u0623\u062c\u064a\u0644 #StandWithSudan #\u0633\u0627\u0646\u062f\u0648\u0627_\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0648\u062f\u0627\u0646 #SudanMediaForum #PressFreedom #WorldPressFreedomDay<\/p>\n