The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate condemns the kidnapping and arrest of two journalists.

October 2, 2025 (Pen) The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate condemned, in a statement issued on Thursday, the ongoing serious violations against Sudanese journalists, including kidnapping, arrest, and even murder, as documented in the syndicate's periodic reports.

The union's reports documented numerous violations against journalists, including the kidnapping and arrest of journalist Mustafa Fadl al-Mawla, known as "Abu Qota," the director-general of the Central Darfur State Radio and Television Corporation. The union said he was abducted two weeks ago by the Rapid Support Forces and detained at a police headquarters in Zalingei.

The union noted that Abu Qouta has not been involved in journalism since the radio station's suspension due to the war. It said no legal charges have been brought against him, and that his family and lawyer have not been allowed to meet with him or check on his well-being. The union called on the Rapid Support Forces to release him immediately.

The statement also condemned the enforced disappearance of journalist Ashraf al-Haber since November 2024. When his family contacted him, they were answered by someone claiming to be from the "security apparatus," according to their account. He promised to release him, which he never did. Contact with him was subsequently lost, and he remains missing.

In its statement, the union expressed its deep concern over what happened to Al-Haber and Abu Qouta, as well as what has happened to Sudanese journalists since the beginning of the war, and called on judges and legal experts to intervene.

Local and international human rights and media organizations also called for solidarity with the Sudanese journalists, considering what is happening to them "crimes against humanity" and against the Sudanese people's freedom of information.