Sudanese Paramilitary Forces Kill Journalist Makawi Mohamed Ahmed and His Brother Amid Escalating War Crimes

Elements of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stormed the village of Wad Al‑Noura in Al Jazirah state, south of Khartoum. During an intense attack involving heavy artillery, RSF fighters killed veteran state reporter Makawi Mohamed Ahmed, 57, and his brother, Shamseddine Mohamed Ahmed. The assault reportedly resulted in approximately 100 civilian deaths across the village.

Makawi was a seasoned journalist working with the Sudan News Agency (SUNA). According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), his killing—alongside that of his brother—reflects a broader pattern of violent repression. CPJ’s Latin America and Caribbean Program Director, Carlos Martínez de la Serna, emphasized the urgency of a transparent investigation, stating: “This is the second journalist who’s been killed in Sudan this week,” underscoring the profound dangers facing media professionals.

Days earlier, on June 4, RSF troops had already killed three Sudanese National Television journalists—Farouk Ahmed Mohamed Al‑Zaher, Ibrahim Mohamed Mudawi, Magdy Abdel Rahman Fakhr El‑Din—as well as their driver in a drone strike near Khartoum’s presidential palace {cite}turn0search5{cite}. These events mark a continued escalation in RSF-led violence against members of the press during the ongoing civil war that erupted in April 2023.

The International Press Institute (IPI) has condemned the Wad Al‑Noura massacre, stressing that targeting journalists violates international humanitarian law and highlighting the absence of accountability. UNESCO’s Director-General also mourned the passing of Makawi, citing him as a dedicated public servant and journalist.

These attacks compound an already dire situation: both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces have been implicated in indiscriminate bombings, enforced disappearances, and the destruction of media infrastructure. Sudan’s Journalists Syndicate reports over 40 significant violations against media workers since May 2024, including killings, abductions, equipment looting, and office raids.

As the international community—including the ICC, UN Human Rights Council, and various press advocacy groups—warns of mass civilian casualties and potential war crimes, Sudan’s journalists remain on the frontlines of conflict and repression. Makawi’s death highlights a devastating trend: reporters are becoming targets, not witnesses, in Sudan’s brutal conflict, warranting urgent international scrutiny and decisive justice.