26 Journalists Killed, Media Institutions Devastated — Shocking Statement by Journalists Union

The Sudanese Journalists Union SJU) has issued a press statement marking World Press Freedom Day, revealing an unprecedented tragedy facing Sudanese journalism since the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023.

The SJU stated that the profession—long known as the “profession of hardship”—which began its journey in Sudan in 1903 and whose presses operated continuously for more than 120 years, is now facing systematic targeting by the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.

According to the statement, the militia has sought to isolate Sudan from the world and conceal its violations by dismantling and crippling the media sector, in a series of actions the union said rise to the level of crimes against humanity.

The statement detailed the heavy human toll within the journalistic community, reporting that 26 male and female journalists have been killed by direct gunfire or indiscriminate shelling.

Hundreds more have been subjected to arbitrary detention, while around 20 journalists remain held in secret militia detention facilities in El Geneina, Nyala, and El Fasher, facing an uncertain fate. It further noted the forced displacement of thousands of media workers after their homes and workplaces were turned into military barracks and battlegrounds, in what it described as a brutal attempt to silence the voice of truth and erase national memory.

On the infrastructure front, the union reported widespread destruction affecting major state media institutions, including the Sudan News Agency, the Sudanese Radio and Television Corporation, and the Broadcasting Authority.

Historical digital archives were burned, while technical equipment and outside broadcasting vehicles—valued at more than $26 million—were looted, resulting in the displacement of approximately 2,500 employees and technicians.

International media outlets were not spared, as their offices were also targeted and equipment looted, alongside the near-total destruction of private media institutions and television channels in the capital and other regions affected by militia presence.