KHARTOUM – The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate says it documented 673 violations against journalists since the outbreak of war in April 2023, including the deaths of 34 media workers and more than 100 cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance.
The syndicate’s Freedoms Secretariat released the figures on Monday, Nov. 2, to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
The documented cases cover the period from April 15, 2023, through June 30, 2026, meaning violations recorded after that date are not included in the total.
According to the syndicate, the cases included 116 incidents of arbitrary arrest, detention or enforced disappearance, 120 threats or instances of hate speech and 34 shootings or other direct attacks.
It said violations had become more complex as the war continued, extending beyond killings, detention and physical attacks to criminal complaints, judicial proceedings, legislative restrictions, dismissals, looting of journalists’ homes and administrative and institutional pressure.
The syndicate said five journalists remain forcibly disappeared.
It identified Ashraf Al-Habr as missing in an area under Sudanese Armed Forces control and said the party responsible for the disappearance of Musab Al-Hadi remained unknown.
Three others — Mustafa Fadl Al-Mawla, also known as Abu Gouta, Magdi Youssef Al-Zein and Mohammed Hussein Shalabi — were reported missing in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces.
The syndicate also cited the detention of journalists Adam Ishaq Mannan and Muammar Ibrahim in RSF-controlled areas.
It said complete information was not available for all detention cases in areas controlled by the Sudanese army.
The syndicate reported 64 cases of judicial prosecution involving journalists during the war.
It also said 47 journalists and media organizations were targeted in a single wave of complaints filed under Sudan’s Cybercrime Law, after which 18 journalists were publicly listed as fugitives.
The Freedoms Secretariat raised concerns over amendments to the Cybercrime Law and Article 51/A of Sudan’s 1991 Criminal Act, saying broader criminal provisions and tougher penalties related to online publication could be used against journalists and restrict freedom of expression.
It also expressed concern over the establishment of a national mechanism to combat cybercrime, arguing that safeguards were needed to prevent it from becoming a tool for surveillance or restrictions on journalism.
The syndicate linked the continuing violations to what it described as widespread impunity and lack of accountability.
It called for independent and transparent investigations into the killing, injury and targeting of journalists and demanded that those responsible be held accountable.
The syndicate also urged authorities and armed actors to disclose the fate of the five missing journalists, ensure their safety and release journalists held arbitrarily.
It called for an end to arrests, summonses, criminal complaints and prosecutions linked to journalistic work or expression and urged the review or repeal of legal provisions that restrict press freedom.
The group also called for an end to the use of cybercrime, emergency and criminal laws to restrict journalism and demanded protection for journalists, access to information and guarantees allowing media workers to operate without threats or intimidation.
Sudan’s media environment has deteriorated sharply since war erupted between the army and the RSF in April 2023, forcing many journalists into displacement or exile while newsrooms and media infrastructure have been damaged, closed or abandoned.
