Sudan: Sudanese Journalists' Syndicate Demands Answers On Five Missing Reporters

What the report says

The Sudanese Journalists' Syndicate is pressing for answers on five of its members who it says have been forcibly disappeared during Sudan's ongoing war. In a statement carried by Dabanga and distributed by AllAfrica, the syndicate said the journalists' fate and whereabouts remain unknown and described the cases as serious violations of basic rights, international law, and personal safety.

The missing reporters named in the statement are Ashraf El Habr, missing since November 2024 in Omdurman; Mustafa Fadl El Mawla, also known as Abu Gota, who led the Central Darfur Radio and Television Authority and has been missing since 25 September 2025; and three journalists reported disappeared in El Fasher in October 2025: photographer Magdy Youssef El Zein, Mohamed Hussein Shalaby, and Musab El Hadi. The syndicate said the lack of reliable information over many months raises grave concerns for their physical and psychological wellbeing.

The group called for the immediate disclosure of the journalists' whereabouts, their release unless lawful charges are filed, and independent investigations into the disappearances. It also urged that families be informed and allowed contact if the men are being held. The syndicate appealed to Sudan's warring parties, as well as the United Nations and other regional and international bodies, to help establish what happened and to hold those responsible to account.

The appeal comes against the wider backdrop of Sudan's conflict, which press-freedom and human-rights groups have said has created heightened risks for journalists and deepened impunity. That broader context was noted by the syndicate, which argued that targeting reporters undermines both press freedom and the public's ability to access information.