Sudanese Journalist Detained by Paramilitary Group Since July

September 10, 2025 – Sudan –

El-Rashid Mohamed Haroun, a journalist from West Darfur, has been held in detention by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since July 2025, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). He was arrested at the Ardeiba market in El-Geneina without any stated reason.

After more than a month in RSF custody, Haroun was transferred in August to Dagres Prison, located southwest of Nyala in South Darfur. He remains there without formal charges, and his family has been barred from visiting him.

Haroun serves as the director of the local radio station Darfur 90.3 and works as a correspondent for several regional outlets. His detention reflects a wider trend in Sudan, where journalists face intimidation, harassment, and violence amid the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. Since the outbreak of fighting in April 2023, CPJ has documented the killing of at least 14 journalists and media workers, illustrating the extreme risks reporters face while covering the war.

CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Director, Sara Qudah, strongly condemned Haroun’s detention and demanded his “immediate and unconditional release.” She emphasized that the RSF’s continued targeting of journalists undermines fundamental press freedom and violates basic human rights.

Despite repeated outreach, RSF officials have not responded to CPJ’s requests for clarification regarding Haroun’s arrest and detention. This silence underscores the climate of impunity in which paramilitary groups operate, leaving families without answers and journalists without protection.

Haroun’s case is emblematic of a broader crisis: journalists in conflict zones are increasingly targeted not for their actions, but for their role as truth-tellers. Arbitrary detention without due process not only silences individual voices but also weakens the ability of communities to access reliable information during times of war.

The TJC Project calls attention to Haroun’s plight as part of its mission to document and resist attacks on journalists worldwide. His continued detention demands urgent international advocacy and accountability.

References –

https://cpj.org/2025/09/sudanese-journalist-detained-by-paramilitary-group-since-july/