Sudan media group decries ‘catastrophe’, urges end to war on second anniversary

April 15, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Marking the second anniversary of Sudan’s conflict, the Sudan Media Forum (SMF) issued a joint statement on Tuesday decrying a humanitarian catastrophe and the collapse of independent media, urging an immediate end to the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The statement highlighted immense civilian suffering since fighting erupted on April 15, 2023. The SMF cited tens of thousands of deaths, including 23 journalists, and the displacement of nearly 12 million people. It warned that approximately 25 million Sudanese face acute food insecurity, with 8.5 million nearing famine, a situation exacerbated by what the forum described as the “deliberate obstruction of access to food and medicine” in conflict zones.

“Two years have passed, and Sudan is experiencing a near-total media blackout, in which the flame of truth has been extinguished, while its skies have ignited instead with misinformation, racism, and hate speech,” the statement read. The SMF detailed the suspension of newspapers, the shutdown of broadcast stations, closure of media centres and widespread communication blackouts, leaving the public vulnerable to “poisonous war propaganda.”

Journalists face displacement, persecution and severe restrictions preventing independent reporting, the SMF noted. The forum lamented that the conflict’s “biggest victims are independent journalism, and accurate, correct, and reliable news and information.”

The SMF directed urgent appeals to several parties:

• To the warring parties (SAF and RSF): It demanded an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access, guarantees for journalists’ safety and freedom, an end to attacks on media outlets, and access for foreign press.
• To Sudanese journalists: Appealed for adherence to professional ethics, meticulous verification of information to combat disinformation, and efforts to counter hate speech.
• To Sudanese civil forces: Urged political and civil society groups to champion media freedom as fundamental for democracy and plan for post-war “peace journalism.”
• To the international community: Called for activation and enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 2724 demanding a ceasefire, pressure on warring parties for aid access, and support for independent Sudanese media now and in post-conflict rebuilding.

Concluding with an urgent plea, the Sudan Media Forum stated: “Stop the war now and save Sudan from famine… There is no time left to waste!”

Joint statement to mark the second anniversary of the outbreak of war in Sudan

Sudan Media Forum: Joint statement to mark the second anniversary of the outbreak of war in Sudan

April 15, 2025

Today marks the second anniversary of the outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 15, 2023, a conflict that has primarily targeted Sudanese civilians. This conflict has left behind immense devastation in various aspects of life and tens of thousands of deaths, including 23 journalists, five of whom are women. It has also caused the displacement of about 12 million people, including previously internally displaced persons and refugees, while about 25 million others suffer from acute food insecurity, including 8.5 million people facing emergency or catastrophic levels approaching famine.

Two years of war have passed, print newspapers are suspended, state, independent, and private radio and television stations are shut down, media training and service centres are closed, and communication and internet services are offline in large parts of the country. Journalists are displaced, pursued, and restricted in carrying out their professional and independent work in reporting and reflecting the facts, making the Sudanese public vulnerable to of rumours, false news, and poisonous war propaganda promoted by the warring parties and their supporters.

Two years have passed, and Sudan is experiencing a near-total media blackout, in which the flame of truth has been extinguished, while its skies have ignited instead with misinformation, racism, and hate speech. And it has become globally forgotten in an open war, whose biggest victims are independent journalism, and accurate, correct, and reliable news and information.

Two years have passed, and war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against civilians continue, with a complete absence of accountability and justice. This in addition to the deliberate obstruction of access to food and medicine for millions of Sudanese trapped in conflict zones.

Two years have passed, and the war against Sudanese civilians, supported by external parties, has led the country to the brink of deepened social division in an unprecedented way, created a blocked political horizon, and made peace seem distant.

As the war completes its second year today, the Sudan Media Forum addresses the following urgent demands to all Sudanese, regional, and international parties, concluding with the urgent appeal:

Stop the war now and save Sudan from famine… There is no time left to waste!

First: To the warring parties:

1. Immediate and unconditional ceasefire for humanitarian reasons, and official recognition of the severe shortage of food and medicine in the country and calling on the world’s nations to provide urgent humanitarian aid.
2. Immediate and unrestricted permission for international and regional organizations and UN agencies to enter the country to address the humanitarian catastrophe, and the opening and securing of all safe routes for delivering food and medicine to those affected.
3. Guarantee the safety and freedom of journalists and all media workers, enabling them to work, move, and access all areas freely and safely, with their equipment, without any harassment, censorship, or interference, to perform their professional duty of independent reporting and conveying facts to the public in Sudan and the world.
4. Immediate cessation of all forms of attacks on journalists and media outlets, and considering media headquarters and platforms (radio, television, newspapers, websites) and their equipment as civilian installations enjoying full protection under international humanitarian law, criminalizing their targeting, occupation, or confiscation of their equipment by any party.
5. Allow foreign press and international correspondents to enter and work freely, access all areas without restrictions, and facilitate their procedures.

Second: To Sudanese Journalists and Press and Media Institutions:

1. We call on you to strongly and steadfastly adhere to the rules and values of independent professional journalism to combat the spread of rumours and media disinformation, especially via social media, and to strictly commit to professional standards and meticulous verification of information before publication.
2. The absence of professional national Sudanese journalism has allowed biased and propagandistic media, as well as others with external agendas, to fill the vacuum with misleading coverage that does not truthfully reflect reality. We emphasize the necessity of enabling and supporting Sudanese press institutions to resume their duties, adhering to strict professional standards, to stem the flood of disinformation and refrain from promoting news from unknown sources.
3. We call on professional media institutions and journalists to actively contribute to producing a shared professional media discourse countering hate speech, racism, and incitement.

Third: To Sudanese Civil Forces (political and societal):

1. Media and press freedom must occupy a fundamental space in the activities and programs of political forces and civil society organizations, demanding its protection as a fundamental human right, not merely as an addendum to demands. The cause of free and independent media must be adopted as a central issue concerning the future of democracy in Sudan and should top the agenda of civil action.
2. We call on political forces, civil society organizations, and emergency committees to immediately work on thinking about and planning for the post-war phase, and the requirements of “peace journalism,” and to work together to restore the democratic path for our country, as there is no democracy without a free press.

Fourth: To the International Community:

1. Activate UN Security Council Resolution 2724 (2024) of 8 March 2024, calling for an immediate halt to the war, compel both parties to implement it without delay, and establish effective mechanisms for monitoring it. And apply serious pressure on both parties to allow the entry of relief and aid without conditions to stop the famine and humanitarian catastrophe and facilitate unrestricted access of necessary supplies to those affected.
2. Support the “Joint Newsroom” of the Sudan Media Forum as a lifeline for Sudanese people and a reliable window for receiving correct, accurate, and independent news and information across various platforms (radio, television, newspapers and websites, and social media pages).
3. Provide support to independent professional websites, radio stations, and television channels currently operating in the Sudanese space, to enable them to perform their role in informing the public, awareness-raising, and providing independent and correct news more broadly and widely, as sources of alternative and reliable news.
4. Provide support and assistance in establishing professional, cultural, and social centres and forums for Sudanese journalists in neighbouring countries and the region, equipped with the necessary technical needs, to help them communicate, coordinate, and work together.
5. Work urgently with the Sudan Media Forum and press and media institutions in preparing for post-conflict projects, given the enormous technical and financial difficulties, and expedite the provision of all forms of technical, technological, and material support to the press and journalists, enabling them to resume their activities and fulfil their mission professionally and efficiently, in an environment conducive to press freedom.
6. Actively contribute to training and capacity building for journalists and media professionals on professional coverage during times of war, transition, and peace, intensifying training in peace journalism, combating hate speech and racism, and all forms of discrimination.

This statement is published on the platforms of all media institutions, organisations, and press members of the Sudan Media Forum.

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