Organizations Call on RSF to Release Detained Female Journalists in Darfur

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Seventeen international and regional human rights and media organizations, led by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have called on Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to immediately and unconditionally release three female journalists working for Nyala Radio in South Darfur State, who have been detained for nearly six months amid growing concerns over their lives and health.

The three journalists — Ishraqa Abdelrahman, Zahra Mohamed Al Hassan and Mawahib Ibrahim — have been detained since February 28, 2026. In a joint statement, the organizations said the journalists are being held without due process and without access to necessary medical care.

Testimonies from women recently released from the same detention facility indicated that the three journalists had lost a significant amount of weight and were suffering from health complications and fever without receiving medical treatment, according to the statement.

The organizations said the detentions are part of an escalating pattern of violations against the press in Sudan since the conflict erupted in April 2023. At least 16 journalists were killed between 2023 and 2025, while nine journalists remain missing after being detained by the RSF, including journalist Muammar Ibrahim, who has been missing since October 26, 2025.

The organizations called for the immediate and unconditional release of the three journalists and for urgent medical care to be provided to them. They also called for information on the whereabouts of missing journalists and demanded the release of all journalists detained because of their journalistic work.

The organizations further urged the international community to exert pressure for the release of detained journalists and to include violations against the press in international accountability efforts.