Sudan Media Forum decries a year of devastating war
April 15, 2024 (KHARTOUM) – A joint editorial by the Sudan Media Forum on Monday expressed concerns that the war in Sudan has claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions and urged the global community to rally behind the Sudanese people and demand immediate end to the war through negotiations.
“This conflict has caused enough suffering and democratic regression,” it noted.
A year ago, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Gen. Abdelfattah El Burhan, clashed with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, plunging the country into a deadly crisis that has since killed thousands.
This war has claimed thousands of lives, inflicted extensive damage on infrastructure and displaced millions of civilians within Sudan, forcing a mass exodus from Khartoum, Darfur, El Gezira and Kordofan. Reports from the United Nations indicate that more than 9 million people have been internally displaced due to the war, with over a million seeking refuge in neighbouring nations.
According to the Sudanese Media Forum, both warring factions have disregarded their legal obligations under International Humanitarian Law, which prohibits and condemns attacks on civilians, their homes, and civilian institutions, including places of worship, hospitals, schools and media outlets.
They have committed heinous human rights violations, including indiscriminate killings, rape, torture, forced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, child recruitment, attacks on international aid workers, looting of food supplies, and denying access to those in need, the joint editorial further emphasised.
These atrocities, it said, constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and potential acts of genocide, which demand accountability and end to impunity.
Targeted murders of journalists have plunged Sudan into a total media blackout, preventing them from fulfilling their crucial role in informing the public, upholding journalistic integrity, and exposing the war’s devastating consequences.
Millions are suffering, our nation is fractured, and foreign intervention looms.
The Forum also stated that beyond silencing free media, the warring parties wage a parallel information war. Propaganda, hate speech, and fabricated news manipulate civilians and obstruct access to truth. Severed communication networks further isolate citizens from loved ones and essential resources.
Despite these daunting challenges, Sudan Media Forum says it stands united.
“We journalists, and media professionals, remain committed to our professional responsibilities. We seek the truth, expose violations, defend human rights, and fight for accountability. We envision a media landscape built on transparency and accountability, holding leaders responsible for their actions. We advocate for peace, humanitarian aid, and solutions to the famine, poverty, and disease plaguing millions,” it said.
The joint editorial urged the global community to rally behind the Sudanese people and demand an immediate end to the conflict through negotiations.
This conflict has caused enough suffering and democratic regression.
“We, the media, reaffirm our commitment to truth-telling and accountability. Armed with awareness, professionalism, and international law, we will continue to serve the public with accurate information and diverse perspectives on this critical conflict,” concluded the editorial also signed by Sudan Tribune.
(ST)