Sudan’s Civil War Is Silencing the Press

The article “Sudan’s Civil War Is Silencing the Press” by Isma’il Kushkrush describes how Sudan’s ongoing civil war, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises but remains drastically underreported by global media. Despite estimates that the conflict has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, mass displacement, widespread hunger, and brutal violence, international news coverage has been sparse and overshadowed by wars in other regions.

Kushkush highlights that Sudanese journalists have continued reporting under exceptionally perilous conditions, often at great personal risk. More than 32 journalists have been killed, and many more have been assaulted, detained, tortured, or forced into exile as media offices were looted or destroyed and both warring parties launched propaganda campaigns and censorship efforts. The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate reports that the conflict has decimated the country’s media infrastructure, destroying or damaging about 90 percent of outlets.

The narrative includes personal accounts of journalists who stayed to report despite danger. Columnist Sabah Mohammad Al-Hassan continued writing from her home under siege, later fleeing RSF forces to continue her work in exile. Exiled independent outlets like Atar Magazine and the Sudan War Monitor emerged to gather and share reporting using digital and open-source tools amid restricted access.

Kushkush also notes that the conflict has spawned sophisticated information warfare and disinformation from both the SAF and RSF, complicating efforts to verify facts and exposing the media to manipulation and danger. Independent journalists formed the Sudan Media Forum to defend press freedoms and counter disinformation, but many newsrooms have been destroyed or driven underground.

Finally, the piece argues that even with these efforts, global coverage remains limited, leaving the world largely unaware of one of the worst wars of the 21st century. It emphasizes that Sudanese journalists risk their lives to report the conflict and calls for greater international attention to their work and the broader crisis.

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Sudan’s Civil War Is Silencing the Press