Sudan's media blackout
Sudan’s national security routinely cracks down on the press and blocks reporter’s access to the conflict zones. How well informed can local and international actors be in this context?
On World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on May 3, Sudan is ranked by press freedom watchdogs near the bottom. Nuba Reports investigates how state pressure has left conflict zones underreported, forced many journalists into self-censorship and drove local media houses into financial ruin.
Read our analysis
Reporting in Sudan is often a dangerous and stressful profession, especially for local journalists. Nuba Reports spoke to local and foreign journalists who faced threats, imprisonment --even torture for attempting to cover the war zones. In some cases they have risked their lives. Nuba Mountains-based journalist, Musa ‘Mosquito’ John, was hit by shrapnel during an aerial bombing on World Press Freedom day last year.
Restricted access to conflict areas has made it impossible for journalists to conduct independent investigations on government activity. In the capital Khartoum, local newspapers are subject to security-led print confiscations.
The US government may decide to permanently lift 20-year economic sanctions in July with the caveat that Sudan upholds a cessation of hostilities in conflict zones. But without a free press, is it possible to monitor whether Sudan complies?
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