Journalists call for cessation of hostilities, press freedom in Sudan
August 15, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – 17 media organizations have urged the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (SAF) to immediately cease military hostilities, establish humanitarian corridors and facilitate journalists’ access to accurately report on the conflict in Sudan.
The call is contained in a joint statement titled “Sudanese Media: Four Months of Violations,” which represents a unified effort by independent media institutions and press organizations to address the critical state of press freedom in Sudan.
The joint statement emphasizes the perilous situation faced by Sudanese journalists who have become collateral victims caught between the rival factions.
The conflict, now in its fourth month, has displaced more than 4 million people, amid reports of deteriorating health conditions across the country, including in refugee camps, border entry points and transit centers in neighbouring nations.
In the joint statement issued on Tuesday, the various media organizations, stressed the need for unhindered access for the press to displaced centers across central and eastern Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have sought refuge.
They also agitated for free and independent coverage devoid of any restrictions.
“This includes opening doors for journalists and media professionals to convey citizens’ opinions, war stories, suffering, perspectives, and future aspirations within these regions,” partly reads the statement also signed by Sudan Tribune.
Further calls were also made to the warring factions in the country’s conflict to grant journalists the freedom to move safely and seamlessly with their press equipment and tools to achieve impartial as well as independent coverage.
“This entails unfettered access to any area or location without harassment, constraints, censorship, or conditions, particularly in Greater Darfur and its villages, North Kordofan with its capital El-Obeid, and the two regions of Kordofan “Nuba Mountains” and the Blue Nile,” the statement noted.
According to the various media entities, journalists in Sudan have encountered grave threats to their safety and freedom. It said accusations of bias, loyalty and allegiance to warring parties have subjected them to arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance and even death, driven by the whims of the conflict’s actors.
Female journalists, it observed, are particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence, exacerbating the gender disparities prevalent within Sudanese society.
“An immediate halt to all forms of attacks against journalists, across all media platforms – visual, audio, print, and online. This encompasses ensuring journalists can carry out their professional duties freely and independently,” it further noted.
The joint statement also underscores the importance of professional journalism standards in countering misinformation, while also calling for international organizations to investigate and prosecute crimes against journalists in Sudan.
The undersigned parties urgently called upon Sudanese political forces and civil society to integrate media into their activities, advocate for journalist protection, and engage in post-conflict initiatives. It urged the international community to pressure the conflicting parties to uphold international law, protect journalists, and provide technical and financial support to ensure the sustainability of a free press.
Sudan was ranked 151 out of 180 countries in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, an annual ranking compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
(ST)