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The Sudan News Agency announced Friday the killing of its el-Fasher bureau chief in North Darfur, Taj al-Sir Mohamed Suleiman, and his brother in what it said was an attack inside their home after it was stormed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The agency said the incident comes as the city faces worsening humanitarian and security conditions.
Sudanese Information Minister Khalid al-Iyeser, in a statement mourning Suleiman, noted that the RSF had detained several Sudanese journalists working for various media outlets and transferred them from el-Fasher to the city of Nyala in South Darfur in western Sudan.
Iyeser appealed to international organizations concerned with the protection of journalists to fulfill their responsibilities in following up on the detained journalists and working to ensure their safety.
The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate condemned the assassination of the director of the Sudan News Agency office, describing it as part of a recurring pattern of grave violations targeting civilians and journalists in Darfur and other regions of Sudan.
In a statement, the syndicate expressed concern over the fate of its member, journalist Muammar Ibrahim, who remains detained by the Rapid Support Forces in the city of Nyala. It held the RSF fully responsible for Ibrahim’s physical safety and his life.
The syndicate called for an urgent international investigation into the killing of journalist Taj Al-Sir Suleiman and his brother, holding all those responsible to account and ensuring that impunity is not permitted.
It also urged the immediate and unconditional release of journalist Muammar Ibrahim and all journalists arbitrarily detained, and called for effective international measures to protect journalists and ensure their safety while carrying out their work in Sudan.
Earlier this month, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) revealed that 11 journalists in the city of el-Fasher have been unknown following the Rapid Support Forces’ takeover of the city.
The committee expressed deep concern over the situation, noting that journalists, media workers and other civilians are facing an unprecedented campaign of violence and impunity.
The international committee previously documented widespread attacks carried out by the RSF in el-Fasher and across Sudan, including killings, arrests and sexual violence.
It warned that the world can no longer afford to wait before taking action to defend the public’s right to information and to protect journalists in el-Fasher, stressing that the abduction of journalists, the public killing of civilians and the imposition of an information blackout constitute direct assaults on press freedom and human dignity.
Since the war between the RSF militia and the Sudanese Armed Forces began on April 15, 2023, the RSF has killed at least 15 journalists and has arrested, raped and forcibly disappeared dozens more, according to research conducted by the committee.
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