{"id":20131919,"date":"2026-05-05T17:54:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20131919"},"modified":"2026-05-08T16:45:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T14:45:45","slug":"sudanese-journalists-gather-in-france-as-syndicate-wins-unesco-press-freedom-prize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/sudanese-journalists-gather-in-france-as-syndicate-wins-unesco-press-freedom-prize","title":{"rendered":"Sudanese journalists gather in France as syndicate wins UNESCO Press Freedom Prize"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate has received the 2026 UNESCO\/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize in Paris, in a moment that blended pride with a stark sense of responsibility. Sudanese journalists travelled from across Europe to attend the ceremony yesterday, turning the occasion into both a show of solidarity and a recognition of resilience during one of the most challenging periods for journalism in Sudan.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journalists Naba El Almaz and Mohamed Musa Harika accepted the award on behalf of the syndicate. What began as a professional honour quickly transformed into a platform to recount the suffering of Sudanese journalists<\/a>, who continue to work under war, violations, and displacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Honouring journalism under fire\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abdel Moneim Abu Idris, head of the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate<\/a>, told the ceremony that journalism in Sudan has become a daily risk that can cost lives. He said journalists have paid a heavy price for telling the truth, insisting that \u201cthe truth, despite everything, does not die\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Idris revealed that the syndicate has documented more than 680 violations against journalists since the outbreak of the war, including the killing of 34 journalists, among them five women. He said these figures are not simply statistics, but living testimony to the cost of reporting the truth in a hostile environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Head of the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate Abdel Moneim Abu Idris with Mr Ahmed Junaid Sorosh-Wali, Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Sudan, during the UNESCO Press Freedom Prize events in Paris (Photo: RD)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He revealed that the syndicate has documented more than 680 violations against journalists since the war began, including the killing of 34 journalists, among them five women. He said these figures are not statistics but \u201cliving testimony\u201d to the cost of reporting in a hostile environment.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Kamal
Kamal Elsadig Editor-in-Chief of Radio Dabanga and Chair of the Sudan Media Forum meets UNESCO Director-General Khaled El Enany during the award ceremony for the 2026 UNESCO\/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, awarded to the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate in Paris on May 4 2026 (Photo: RD)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u2018A fragile democratic experiment\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Idris described the syndicate as a rare democratic experiment in Sudan\u2019s modern history, formed after the December Revolution as the first elected professional body of its kind. He said it emerged despite a turbulent political transition, a military coup, and the descent into civil war, all in an environment lacking basic guarantees for union activity and press freedom<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said authorities refused to register the syndicate despite its election through what he described as a free and fair process under international supervision. The move, he added, reflected the scale of restrictions on freedom of association even before the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the syndicate continues to face severe challenges, including the displacement of its members, the collapse of the media environment, and the absence of protection mechanisms, amid ongoing violations carried out with impunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sudanese journalists, including members of the Radio Dabanga team, gather during the UNESCO\/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize ceremony in Paris. (Photo: RD)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Call for international action\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these conditions, Abu Idris said Sudanese journalists continue to report not only as witnesses to events but also as defenders of the right to know and of the values of justice and peace. He said the award represents \u201can additional responsibility\u201d rather than only an honour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called for international solidarity that moves beyond statements of condemnation to concrete action, including accountability for perpetrators, support for the release of detained journalists, and clarification of the fate of the missing. He stressed that protecting journalists is \u201cnot only a national responsibility, but a shared international obligation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also urged stronger cooperation with regional and international press organisations to develop effective protection mechanisms that allow journalists to work safely and strengthen journalism as a tool for peace building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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