RSF Detention of Sudanese Journalist Highlights Ongoing Press Freedom Crisis in Conflict Zones

May 08, 2026 – Sudan –

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have detained journalist Adam Issac Minan in North Darfur, in what press freedom organizations describe as part of a continuing pattern of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances targeting media workers during the country’s ongoing civil war.

According to reports cited by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Arab News, Minan, who works for North Darfur State Radio and Television Corporation and contributes to other local outlets, was taken by RSF fighters on April 5, 2026, in the town of Kutum. He was reportedly detained alongside his brother during a wider RSF operation in the area.

Local journalists told CPJ that Minan was later moved between multiple locations, including El Fasher and detention facilities in South Darfur, amid deteriorating security conditions and limited transparency regarding his status. His current whereabouts remain uncertain, and no formal charges have been publicly disclosed.

Press freedom advocates say the case reflects a broader campaign of arrests in North Darfur, where RSF forces have detained journalists, community leaders, and civilians without clear legal process. Rights monitors have documented similar incidents involving media workers being held in undisclosed locations or transferred between detention centers without family access or judicial oversight.

The CPJ has called for Minan’s immediate release, warning that his detention underscores what it describes as an environment of impunity surrounding attacks on journalists in Sudan. Officials from the organization say journalists are increasingly being targeted as the conflict between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces continues to destabilize large parts of the country.

Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, Sudan has become one of the most dangerous countries globally for media professionals, with repeated reports of killings, disappearances, arrests, and forced displacement of journalists. Monitoring groups say that information blackouts in conflict-affected regions such as Darfur have further limited independent reporting and increased risks for reporters operating on the ground.

Arab News reporting also notes that CPJ has documented multiple cases of RSF-linked detentions of journalists across Sudan, including earlier incidents where media workers were held for extended periods without formal charges or access to legal representation.

As the conflict continues, press freedom organizations are urging all parties to the war to end arbitrary detentions and ensure journalists can operate without fear of abduction or retaliation.

Reference –

Sudan’s RSF paramilitary group detains journalist Adam Issac Minan

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2642805/media