Khartoum, July 20 (Darfur24)
The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate on Sunday expressed solidarity with Darfur24, condemning what it described as a systematic campaign of threats against the network and warning that journalists must not be left vulnerable to violence and intimidation.
In a statement, the syndicate said it stood in “full solidarity” with Darfur24 and its correspondents, who it said had received death threats from armed groups.
Darfur24 said on Saturday that it had been subjected to coordinated targeting campaigns, which it attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdul Wahid Mohamed Nour. The network held both groups responsible for the safety of its journalists and correspondents in Darfur.
The network said it would continue its work despite what it described as intimidation and incitement to kill its journalists by members of the SLM, stressing that such threats would not deter it.
The journalists’ syndicate described the threats as “a new and blatant violation of press freedom and the right to life,” warning that they represent a serious escalation against media workers in Sudan.
It said death threats in a context of widespread armed conflict, easy access to weapons, and increasing hate speech create conditions in which crimes against journalists can be committed with impunity.
According to the syndicate, at least 34 journalists have been killed since the outbreak of the war in April 2023, alongside dozens of documented cases of arrest, enforced disappearance, and threats.
The syndicate held both the RSF and the SLM-Abdul Wahid faction responsible for ensuring the safety of Darfur24 journalists and called on armed groups to uphold international obligations protecting journalists during armed conflict.
It also urged organizations working on press freedom and human rights not to underestimate the threats against Darfur24, describing them as part of a broader effort to silence independent media and restrict public access to information. The syndicate called for an immediate investigation to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.
