Hunted, Raped, Starved: Journalists Trapped Under Siege in El-Fasher

October 01, 2025 – Sudan – 

In El-Fasher, Darfur’s besieged capital, journalists face horrific conditions as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) tighten their grip on the city. With the city encircled for over 16 months, media workers are simultaneously contending with starvation, targeted violence, and censorship.

According to interviews conducted by CPJ, seven reporters based in El-Fasher described being deprived of food and necessities while under constant bombardment. Many spoke of how RSF fighters have used local informants to identify journalists, raided their homes, and demanded that families vacate. One female journalist recounted being intercepted during a house raid, then beaten and gang-raped as punishment for her reporting. She said the attack was deliberate, not random.

Journalists also revealed that malnutrition, diarrhea, and poisoning have afflicted them after being forced to consume “ambaz” — an animal feed ground into porridge because it’s among the only remaining sources of sustenance. One reporter described fainting from anemia, unable to continue working.

Women journalists face added indignities: lack of access to emergency contraception, antibiotics, or care following sexual violence. Some have resorted to improvising menstrual cloths from headscarves while reporting under dehumanizing conditions.

Even those who escaped have not been spared. One journalist said she was detained for 45 days earlier this year, beaten, tortured, and coerced to stop reporting. Informants who once knew her had allegedly betrayed her for protection.

Communications are sparse due to intermittent electricity and internet shutdowns. As a result, many reporters write and store articles until it is safe to publish — effectively delaying the world’s view of events in El-Fasher.

Despite the risks, journalists hold fast to their duty. “We can no longer cover the war live … but our voices are the only thing left,” one said. Another vowed: “Journalism here is not just a job, it is a duty, even if it costs us our lives.”

Reference – 

Hunted, raped, starved: Sudan’s journalists under siege in El-Fasher