Journalists Detained in Darfur After Reporting on Abuse by Rebel-Aligned Forces

July 07, 2025 – Sudan – 

Two Sudanese freelance journalists, Nasr Yaqoub and Mohamed Ahmed Nazar, were arrested on July 7, 2025, by armed members of the Sudan Liberation Movement–Transitional Council (SLM–TC), a rebel group aligned with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The arrests occurred in Abu Shouk camp near El Fasher, North Darfur—a region gripped by escalating conflict between the SAF, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and various allied militias.

The detentions followed a violent incident on July 5, when Yaqoub was shot in the leg by an SLM–TC fighter after he refused to surrender his Starlink satellite internet device. In Darfur’s communication blackout, Starlink has become a critical tool for journalists trying to report from the front lines. Nazar, who was not present during the shooting, later shared details of the attack on social media. Both journalists were accused of “provoking” the armed group and “spreading incitement.”

According to multiple local reports, the two men were taken to a rebel-controlled headquarters in El Fasher. SLM–TC representatives claim the journalists endangered national security by sharing false narratives and undermining the military coalition’s authority. Human rights groups, however, view the arrests as a blatant attempt to silence independent reporting.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other press freedom organizations have condemned the detentions, calling them an egregious violation of media rights. “Journalists should never be targeted for doing their jobs, especially not in a war zone where reliable information is already so scarce,” the CPJ stated in a press release demanding the pair’s immediate release.

This incident highlights the increasingly dangerous environment for journalists in Sudan, particularly in Darfur, where armed groups and government-aligned forces have resorted to harassment, censorship, and violence to control narratives. With traditional networks disrupted, journalists depend on tools like Starlink to connect with the outside world, making them targets in a war that thrives on information suppression.

As El Fasher remains under siege and humanitarian conditions worsen, the arrests of Yaqoub and Nazar deepen concerns about the shrinking space for truth and transparency in Sudan’s conflict-ravaged western region.

Reference – 

Joint rebel forces arrest two journalists in Darfur’s Abu Shouk camp

https://sudantribune.com/article302637/

Joint Forces Apprehend Two Journalists in El Fasher