November 26, Nairobi — More than 60 Sudanese women journalists living in the states of Khartoum, Gezira and Darfur are facing life-threatening situations because of the ongoing armed clashes, the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate said on Monday.
The group said that women are facing tough humanitarian challenges during the ongoing war. Earlier this month the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate said that at least 13 journalists, including two women, have been killed since the war broke out in April 2023. Some were deliberately targeted, while others caught in the crossfire of indiscriminate military operations in civilian areas.
Last month a report published by Daraj also revealed how Sudanese female journalists were facing digital threats, some of which had escalated into direct assaults. These were mostly aimed at silencing them. Other reports have revealed that women journalists have faced heightened risks, with 54 cases of women experiencing enforced disappearance or arrest. Women journalists have allegedly also been sexually assaulted by the Rapid Support Forces.
The war in Sudan has decimated the media. Allegedly 90 percent of its infrastructure has been destroyed and approximately one thousand journalists have been displaced. The RSF has specifically targeted journalists and severely restricted their ability to report on the conflict, the United Nations has also said.