Khartoum – Sudan Now
Mohamed Al-Mukhtar, legal adviser to the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), said the fate of Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim, who has been detained by the group since October 2025, depends on legal procedures being taken against him, adding that he could be released if no connection to the conflict in El Fasher is established.
Speaking to journalists in Addis Ababa, Al-Mukhtar said the RSF would review the nature of the procedures being pursued against Ibrahim and seek to verify their basis.
“We will seek to determine the nature of the procedures in place, whether judicial, criminal or otherwise. If we find that the journalist has no connection to the conflict in El Fasher and was not involved in it, he will be released,” Al-Mukhtar said.
The remarks come amid growing domestic and international calls for clarification of Ibrahim’s whereabouts and legal status. He has spent more than 200 days in detention since being arrested on October 26, 2025, while attempting to leave El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State.
Ibrahim had been covering developments in El Fasher during the RSF siege of the city, which was marked by intense fighting and a worsening humanitarian crisis. United Nations reports have documented serious violations against civilians in and around the city during the conflict.
According to multiple sources, RSF members detained Ibrahim shortly before the fall of El Fasher and later transferred him to Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State.
His appearance in a video alongside RSF spokesperson Al-Fateh Guraishi during his detention raised concerns among journalists and human rights advocates about the conditions of his detention and his well-being.
Over recent months, local and international press freedom and human rights organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), have called for Ibrahim’s immediate release, arguing that his journalistic work should not be grounds for detention.
Sources close to his family and colleagues have also expressed concern about his health during detention, citing the lack of regular official information regarding his legal status and conditions of confinement.
The case of Muammar Ibrahim has become one of the most prominent press freedom cases linked to Sudan’s ongoing war, with journalists and rights groups closely watching for any developments regarding a review of his case or his possible release.
