CPJ urges Sudan authorities to end suspensions of 3 news outlets

New York, April 3, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that the Sudanese Ministry of Media and Culture has suspended the work of news outlets Sky News Arabia, Al Arabiya, and Al Hadath in Sudan and urges authorities to allow the channels to resume operating. 

On Tuesday, Sudan’s Ministry of Media and Culture suspended the Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia news channel and Saudi Arabia’s state-owned channels Al Arabiya and Al Hadath for allegedly failing to renew their licenses, as well as “their inability to uphold necessary standards of professionalism and transparency,” according to news reports, and a local journalist who spoke with CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

“The Sudanese Ministry of Media and Culture’s decision to ban news channels Sky News Arabia, Al Arabiya, and Al Hadath is unacceptable during war time, when media coverage is crucial,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna, in New York. “Sudanese authorities must immediately revert its decision to ban the three news channels and allow them to continue working Sudan.”

The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, a local trade union, condemned the ministry’s decision and called it a “clear violation of freedom of expression and the freedom of the press,” according to a statement by the syndicate on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

CPJ emailed the Ministry of Media and Culture and the Sudanese Armed Forces for comment but did not receive any replies.