Committee For Justice has documented the arrest of five journalists by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, following the group’s takeover of the city. Among those detained is journalist Muammar Ibrahim, a contributor to Al Jazeera. The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate also confirmed the loss of contact with seven other journalists, including two women, since RSF forces seized control of the city. Reports indicate that these journalists were present in El-Fasher and at the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and RSF. A video circulating online shows photojournalist Ibrahim Jibril Babu among detainees held by RSF, suggesting he was also arrested by the group.
These actions constitute a clear breach of Sudan’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees the right to freedom of expression, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), in addition to violating the principles of International Humanitarian Law, which protect civilians and media professionals during armed conflicts. Such practices amount to serious human rights violations and may qualify as war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which criminalizes arbitrary detention and the targeting of journalists.
In its concluding statement, Committee For Justice strongly condemns these violations against journalists and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees, as well as the provision of safe corridors for media professionals in conflict zones. The Committee urges the international community, including the UN Human Rights Council and relevant UN mechanisms on freedom of expression, to take urgent action to halt these abuses and hold those responsible accountable, ensuring that perpetrators do not enjoy impunity, in line with international treaties ratified by Sudan.
