Africa Media Monitoring December 2024: Threats to press freedom in Sudan, Guinea and Liberia

In December 2024, IPI’s Africa monitoring program recorded at least 10 incidents of threats to press freedom in nine countries across sub-Saharan Africa. These included six incidents of physical, verbal, or online attacks, including the killing of one journalist, in Sudan. Once again, state actors remained the main perpetrators, responsible for nearly all of the incidents recorded.

See the factsheet below or download it here: https://ipi.media/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/africa-factsheet-dec24.pdf

In Sudan: on December 8, elements of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed journalist Hanan Adam in the village of Wad Al-Asha in Gezira State. She died following an attack on her home by RSF. It is not yet clear whether she was targeted over her work as a journalist, or killed as part of the broad pattern of targeting civilians amidst the conflict. Hanan worked at the Ministry of Culture and Information in Gezira State and was a correspondent for the Al-Maidan newspaper,  affiliated with the Sudanese Communist Party.  The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate condemned the incident and demanded that the RSF identify the perpetrators and hold those responsible accountable.

In Guinea, on December 3, journalist Habib Marouane Camara of the online newspaper LeRévélateur 224 was kidnapped by the security forces in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Days before his unlawful arrest, the journalist said on social media that he was under threat of kidnapping. Camara is also a columnist for the privately owned media group Djoma, which is one of at least six media outlets that were suspended from undertaking press activities by the authorities in May 2024. Previously, in March, he had been suspended for three months by the media regulator following a complaint of alleged “defamatory remarks” made by Ousmane Gaoual Diallo, spokesman for the Minister of Transport and Government. At the time of this report, Camara’s whereabouts remained unknown and no official charges had been brought against him.

In Liberia, on December 9, journalist Sylvester Choloplay of Spoon Network (radio and online TV) was assaulted at the Capitol Building in Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia, by the security personnel of lawmaker Dixon Seboe. Reports indicated that the incident occurred when Seboe reacted aggressively to Choloplay’s probing questions about the removal of the embattled speaker the of legislature during a live-streamed interview on social media platforms. The Press Union of Liberia condemned the attack, labelling it a clear violation of press freedom and a concerning sign of hostility towards journalists.

Elsewhere, in Zambia, the authorities advocated in December for the passage of cybercrime legislation known as the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act. Authorities have described the legislation as a response to a reported increase in hate speech on social media in the country and as “a beneficial law designed to combat rising cybercrime and enhance cybersecurity.”. However, the opposition groups and government critics have argued that the proposed laws aim to suppress free expression on social media and would infringe on privacy and press freedom online. Concerns were raised about the fact that the proposed law includes a recommendation for a 20-year prison penalty for offences.

Positive development

In the lead-up to Ghana’s December 7 elections, Ghana’s Electoral Commission revoked its decision to restrict media access to ballot collation centers, a move that would have contributed to a grave denial of access to information to journalists and media. Notably, IPI monitoring also did not record any incidents of threats to press freedom during the Ghanaian elections – a contrast to other recent votes in Africa where journalists faced restrictions and attacks, such as in Mozambique and Mauritius.

Africa Media Monitoring December 2024: Threats to press freedom in Sudan, Guinea and Liberia