Are journalists now the primary targets of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Sudanese conflict?

Development Diaries reports that a journalist for the Sudan News Agency (SUNA), Abdelrahman Warab, has now spent about six months in detention with the RSF.

According to the Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN), there is no justification for Warab’s detention, further highlighting fears of potential torture.

Since the start of fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, journalists in the country have faced assaults, threats, enforced disappearances, and detentions by both the SAF and the RSF.

It is understood that Warab’s family has been unable to establish contact with him or obtain information regarding his whereabouts, which paints his case as one of enforced disappearance.

‘This withholding of critical information prevents his family from visiting, assessing his health, understanding the reasons for his arrest, and facilitating access to medical care—a clear violation of international humanitarian law that mandates the protection of civilians in times of conflict’, the SJN said in a statement.

In October, Development Diaries reported the killing of a reporter, Halima Idris, by RSF in Omdurman after she was run over by a vehicle belonging to the RSF.

Sudan ranks 148 out of 180 in the 2023 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index suggesting that journalists are working in a worsening climate of violence.

The RSF must secure Warab’s immediate and unconditional release, along with that of all detainees, and also cease its targeting of journalists in the country.

Photos source: Dabanga