{"id":20131642,"date":"2026-04-30T12:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T10:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20131642"},"modified":"2026-04-30T17:53:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T15:53:35","slug":"media-under-fire-sudan-slides-to-161-180-in-2026-world-press-freedom-index","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/media-under-fire-sudan-slides-to-161-180-in-2026-world-press-freedom-index","title":{"rendered":"Media under fire: Sudan slides to 161\/180 in 2026 World Press Freedom Index"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sudan continues its relentless slide to the bottom of global press freedom rankings, as the 25th World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders corroborates the unceasing pressure, restrictions, and attacks on journalists and media workers in the country, and the adverse effects of ongoing conflict.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 25th World Press Freedom Index<\/a> published by international press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders today, Sudan is rated 161st<\/sup> out of 180 countries, having dropped to 156th<\/sup> in 2025 from 149th<\/sup> in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As reported by Radio Dabanga today, Sudanese media organisations have strongly condemned a directive issued to all media outlets<\/a> by Sudan\u2019s Ministry of Culture, Information, Antiquities and Tourism, giving them a one-month deadline to obtain official operating licences or \u201cface legal action\u201d. The move the government says is aimed at \u201crestoring professionalism and order to the sector\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Graphic: RD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As frequently reported by Radio Dabanga, attacks on journalists have become systematic and organised, threatening the public\u2019s right to information and prospects for peace. The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate has recorded 110 violations in just one year, and since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, journalists and media outlets have been subjected to more than 500 violations. This all occurs with impunity, which makes journalists and media professionals \u2018fair game\u2019 to be targeted by both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘The war in Sudan is not just a conflict of arms, but a battle for truth. The silencing of the pen is a tragedy for the Sudanese people and a threat to democracy everywhere…’ \u2014 Kamal Elsadig, Editor in Chief, Radio Dabanga<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe war in Sudan is not just a conflict of arms, but a battle for truth. The silencing of the pen is a tragedy for the Sudanese people and a threat to democracy everywhere. We must stand together to ensure that the voices of Sudanese journalists are not silenced,\u201d says Kamal Elsadig, Editor in Chief of Radio Dabanga, and chair of the Sudan Media Forum in recent comment on this station<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Graphic: RD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The 25th World Press Freedom Index comes at a time when \u201cpolitical pressure on the press is intensifying, authoritarian tendencies are growing and the media market is heavily weakened,\u201d Reporters Without Borders laments. \u201cThis year, the Index\u2019s analysis highlights an alarming deterioration in the conditions for journalism in many parts of the world, despite some isolated improvements, as 100 out of 180 countries and territories have seen their press freedom score decline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The index shows that in Africa, press freedom largely remains in a very deteriorated state. It also underlines that in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, \u201cthe state of press freedom is the most catastrophic according to the 2026 Index, with 18 out of 19 countries classified as \u2018very serious\u2019 (11) or \u2018difficult\u2019 (7)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wars and restrictions on access to information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its commentary, Reporters Without Borders underlines that \u201cin some countries, such as Iraq (162nd), Sudan (161st) and Yemen (164th), recurring armed conflict is the primary reason for this decline in press freedom… Since October 2023, more than 220 journalists have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, including at least 70 who were slain while carrying out their work. The same is true in Sudan (-5) and South Sudan (118, -9).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Image: RD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Press freedom at a 25-year low<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

For the first time in the history of the Reporters\nWithout Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, over half of the world\u2019s\ncountries now fall into the \u201cdifficult\u201d or \u201cvery serious\u201d categories for press\nfreedom. In 25 years, the average score of all 180 countries and territories\nsurveyed in the Index has never been so low. Since 2001, the expansion of\nincreasingly restrictive legal arsenals \u2014 particularly those linked to national\nsecurity policies \u2014 has been steadily eroding the right to information, even in\ndemocratic countries. The Index\u2019s legal indicator has declined the most over\nthe past year, a clear sign that journalism is increasingly criminalised\nworldwide. In the Americas, the situation has evolved significantly, with the\nUnited States dropping seven places and several Latin American countries\nsliding deeper into a spiral of violence and repression.<\/i><\/p>\n

Anne Bocand\u00e9, RSF Editorial Director:<\/i><\/b> \u201cBy\nproviding a retrospective of the past 25 years, RSF isn\u2019t just looking back \u2014\nit\u2019s looking squarely at the future with a simple question: how much longer\nwill we tolerate the suffocation of journalism, the systematic obstruction of\nreporters and the continued erosion of press freedom? Although attacks on the\nright to information are more diverse and sophisticated, their perpetrators are\nnow operating in plain sight. Authoritarian states, complicit or incompetent\npolitical powers, predatory economic actors and under-regulated online\nplatforms are directly and overwhelmingly responsible for the global decline in\npress freedom. Given this context, inaction is a form of endorsement. It\u2019s no\nlonger enough just to state principles \u2014 effective measures to protect\njournalists are essential and must be seen as a catalyst for change. This\nstarts with ending the criminalisation of journalism: the misuse of national\nsecurity laws, SLAPPs, and the systematic obstruction of those who investigate,\nexpose and name names. Current protection mechanisms are not strong enough;\ninternational law is being undermined and impunity is rife. We need firm\nguarantees and meaningful sanctions. The ball is in the court of democracies\nand their citizens. It is up to them to stand in the way of those who seek to\nsilence the press. The spread of authoritarianism isn\u2019t inevitable.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Five key takeaways from the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom\nIndex:<\/i><\/p>\n

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  1. The average score for\n all countries and territories worldwide has never been so low. For the\n first time in the Index\u2019s 25-year history, more than half the world\u2019s\n countries now fall into the \u201cdifficult\u201d or \u201cvery serious\u201d categories for\n press freedom.<\/i><\/li>\n
  2. Out of the five\n indicators used to assess press freedom worldwide \u2014 which determine the\n economic, legal, security, political and social environments for\n journalism \u2014 the legal indicator has seen the sharpest decline this year.<\/i><\/li>\n
  3. The United States has\n fallen seven places and other countries in the Americas, such as Ecuador\n and Peru, have plummeted in the ranking.<\/i><\/li>\n
  4. Norway holds the top\n spot for the tenth consecutive year, while Eritrea comes in last for the\n third year in a row.<\/i><\/li>\n
  5. Post-Assad Syria has\n seen the biggest improvement in press freedom of all the countries and\n territories in the 2026 Index, climbing 36 places in the ranking.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    (Source: Reporters Without Borders 25th World Press Freedom Index<\/a><\/em>)<\/p>\n