SAF and RSF Carry Out Enforced Disappearances, Detain Seven Sudanese Journalists
Detentions of Sudanese journalists
The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate has warned of a wave of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions of journalists across Khartoum, Darfur and Sennar.
“The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate has expressed deep concern over the continued cases of enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention affecting journalists in the capital and in the regions of Darfur and Sennar state”
The syndicate says it has documented three enforced disappearances and four arrests.
It reports some detentions have lasted up to a year.
The syndicate frames the incidents as a sustained pattern affecting media workers and demands accountability and protection for those missing or detained.
Detention of women journalists
The syndicate says several women, including named broadcasters and radio journalists, were detained by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Nyala, South Darfur.
They were transferred to Korea prison, where they have reportedly been held for more than a week without charges or trial.
The accounts list broadcaster Ishraqah Abdulrahman, radio journalists Zahraa Muhammad Al-Hassan and Mawaheb Ibrahim, and Dr. Manahil Mustafa El Sanousi among those held.
The reports illustrate the targeting of female media workers.
Enforced disappearances of journalists
Ashraf El Habr disappeared from Omdurman in November 2024.
“The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate has expressed deep concern over the continued cases of enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention affecting journalists in the capital and in the regions of Darfur and Sennar state”
Issam Mohammed Haroun, described as Director‑General of the State Broadcasting and Television Authority, was forcibly disappeared in El Fasher on 30 August 2025.
Musab El Hadi has been missing since 2 October 2025.
These named cases include senior media figures and local journalists among the missing.
Responsibility for some of the disappearances is recorded as unknown.
Arrests and detentions in Sudan
Abdelaziz Mahmoud Saleh Arja, a Sudan TV cameraman, was arrested in Port Sudan on 29 April 2024.
Mustafa Fadl El Mawla (Abu Quwa), Director-General of Central Darfur Radio and Television Authority, was arrested in Zalingei on 25 September 2025 by RSF.
Photojournalist Nader Min Allah has been detained in El Damazin since 4 October last year.
Ammar Ibrahim was arrested in El Fasher on 26 October by RSF.
These entries indicate detentions attributed to both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces in different locations.
Key Takeaways
- Seven media workers reported missing or detained by SAF and RSF
- Sudanese Journalists Syndicate documented three enforced disappearances and four arrests
- Some detentions have lasted up to a year in the capital, Darfur, and Sennar
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