Khartoum /Al Hamish’s Voice – November 5, 2025
The Sudanese Journalists’ Union announced in a preliminary report released on Wednesday that more than 20 male and female journalists were present inside the city of Al Fashir and the Abu Shouk camp prior to the recent clashes that erupted following the RSF’ attack on the city.
The report explained that twelve journalists managed to escape and reach the city of Tawila, while journalists Muammar Ibrahim and Ibrahim Jibril Babu remain detained by the RSF. Contact has also been lost with seven other journalists — including two women — whose whereabouts remain unknown to date.
According to the union, one of the missing journalists, photojournalist Ibrahim Babu, appeared in a circulated video showing a group of captives held by the RSF. The union also noted that four other journalists had been previously detained and forcibly disappeared before the city’s invasion, raising concerns over the deliberate targeting of media worker
These developments come after the RSF took control of the city of Al Fashir at the end of October 2025, following a siege that lasted for more than 500 days, during which civilians suffered widespread violations and ethnically motivated killings, according to reports by UN and human rights organizations. The recent fighting has resulted in a massive wave of displacement and an almost total collapse of basic services within the city.
Darfur has been one of the most dangerous environments for journalists in Sudan since the outbreak of the war in April 2023, with local and international organizations documenting cases of arbitrary arrests and direct targeting of media professionals, along with restrictions on coverage and instances of enforced disappearance.
The Journalists’ Union says reporters working in conflict zones operate without protection or legal safeguards, amid escalating attacks on civilians and the absence of effective international intervention.
