AMMAN — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for the immediate release of three Sudanese journalists held by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), warning that their health has deteriorated in detention and urging all armed groups to end attacks on members of the press.

 

The journalists, Ishraqah Abdulrahman, Zahraa Muhammad Al-Hassan and Mawahib Ibrahim of Nyala Radio, were abducted by the RSF paramilitary group in February. According to the CPJ, reports indicate they have lost a significant amount of weight and are suffering from fever and other untreated health complications due to a lack of medical care.

 

A member of the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate (SJS), who spoke to the CPJ on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said family members learned of the journalists' condition from women recently released from the detention facility where the three reporters are believed to be held.

 

In a statement published on its website, the CPJ also expressed concern over reports that journalists working for the independent news outlet Darfur 24 have received death threats from members of the Sudan Liberation Movement, a Darfur rebel faction led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur.

 

According to the SJS, Darfur 24 has also been subjected to a coordinated campaign of incitement linked to its coverage of the conflict. The syndicate accused media platforms affiliated with both the RSF and the Sudan Liberation Movement of targeting the outlet and its journalists.

 

"The reported deterioration in the health of Nyala Radio journalists Ishraqah Abdulrahman, Zahraa Muhammad Al-Hassan, and Mawahib Ibrahim, alongside the death threats directed at Darfur 24 journalists, demonstrates the intolerable conditions under which Sudanese journalists are being forced to work," CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said.

 

"The RSF and all armed actors must immediately stop targeting journalists and ensure that members of the press can carry out their work without fear of violence, intimidation, or unlawful detention," she added.

 

The CPJ said the continued detention of Abdulrahman, Al-Hassan and Ibrahim, who are among at least eight journalists, including prominent Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim, abducted by the RSF since the war began, highlights the worsening state of press freedom in Sudan.

 

Since fighting erupted in April 2023, the organisation said it had documented the killings of at least 16 journalists, in addition to numerous cases of detention, sexual assault, threats and other attacks against media workers.

 

The CPJ called on the international community to press the RSF to immediately release all abducted journalists and ensure they receive prompt and unrestricted medical care, publicly condemn threats against Darfur 24 and demand that all armed groups comply with international humanitarian law, and ensure that attacks on journalists are documented as part of international accountability efforts related to the conflict in Sudan.

 

The CPJ said that it contacted the RSF through its website and emailed the Sudan Liberation Movement for comment but had not received a response.