Journalists Watchdog CPJ Demands Release of Journalists Held in Darfur by RSF

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for the immediate release of three Sudanese journalists detained by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), warning that the arrests reflect a broader pattern of repression against media workers during the country’s ongoing conflict.

CPJ said Nyala State Radio reporters Mawaheb Ibrahim, Zahraa Muhammad Al-Hassan and presenter Ishraqah Abdulrahman have been held since February 28, 2026 after being arrested in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. The organization said the three were detained after attending a workshop for female journalists and were transferred to Korea prison along with other women.

According to CPJ, the journalists remain in custody as of mid-March without formal charges, without being brought before a court and without clear justification for their arrest.

CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah urged the RSF to release the journalists and halt arbitrary detentions targeting the press. “The Rapid Support Forces must immediately release Nyala Radio journalists Mawaheb Ibrahim, Zahraa Muhammad Al-Hassan, and Ishraqah Abdulrahman and stop arbitrarily detaining members of the press,” she said.

Qudah added that journalists in Sudan are already operating under extremely dangerous conditions and that detaining reporters further restricts coverage of a conflict that remains underreported.

Local sources cited by CPJ said the detainees have not been granted access to legal proceedings, raising concerns about due process and accountability.

CPJ said the arrests are part of a wider trend affecting journalists across Sudan. The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate has also expressed concern over increasing cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance involving media workers in regions including Darfur and Sennar.

At least one other journalist, freelance reporter Muammar Ibrahim, has been held by RSF forces since October 26, 2025 after being arrested while fleeing El Fasher in North Darfur.

CPJ said the whereabouts of at least seven journalists remain unknown as of mid-March 2026, raising concerns about enforced disappearances. The organization warned that such conditions severely limit the flow of information from conflict-affected regions.

CPJ said it contacted the paramilitary group through its official channels but did not receive a response.

The organization emphasized that continued detentions and disappearances of journalists risk deepening information gaps in Sudan’s conflict zones, particularly in Darfur, where access is already heavily constrained.