| Sudan |
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The mostly privately owned Sudanese press is both active and diverse, reflecting the voices of a broad section of the Sudanese society. The freedom of the press has, however, been heavily curtailed amidst renewed international criticism of the Sudanese government over the human rights crisis in Darfur. 2006 was a dark year for the Sudanese press: Muhammad Taha Ahmad, editor-in-chief of the weekly Al Wifaq, was kidnapped and beheaded; several newspapers were suspended for short periods; two foreign reporters charged were with espionage and several local journalists were harassed and beaten by police. In spite of a constitutional provision guaranteeing press freedom, the Sudanese authorities abuse the highly controversial article 130 of the penal code procedure – which proscribes the media from covering criminal cases still under investigation – in order to prevent them from covering controversial issues, most recently the murky assassination of Muhammad Taha Ahmad. Another problem of the Sudanese press is the brain drain it suffers from, due to the emigration of skilled journalists to rich Arab Gulf countries. The first Sudanese newspaper was the Sudanese Gazette, which appeared already in 1899. Despite of the fact that the more than 100 languages are spoken in Sudan, most newspapers are published in Arabic and English. |
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| Akhir Lahza |
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Language:
Arabic An
independent newspaper, Akhir Lahza is the latest addition to the
Sudanese press. It covers local news from a critical point of view, which does
not, however, include Darfur. This daily publishes a wide range of columnists,
such as Al Tayib Salih and Mahmoud Abu Al Ghara’im. Akhir Lahza has a
modern design, a large sports section and a high-quality website. Website: http://www.akhirlahza.net |
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| Al Anbaa |
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Language:
Arabic The
official newspaper of the Sudanese government, Al Anbaa provides a
selective coverage of local news and a one-sided coverage of the Darfur crisis.
Website: http://www.alanbaa.info |
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| Al Ayam |
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Language: Arabic The leading independent daily, Al Ayam
provides extensive news coverage, balanced editorials and insightful
investigative journalism. One of its special sections is “Letters from the
provinces” where local issues are covered in a critical way. Al Ayam has
been targeted by the Sudanese authorities throughout the years. In 2004, the
paper was suspended for several months and its editor-in-chief Mahgoub Mohammed
Salih imprisoned for threatening national security. In 2006, one of Al Ayam’s
journalists, Nasser Al Din Al Tayyib, was beaten and imprisoned. Mahgoub
Mohammed Salih was awarded the Golden Pen of Freedom in 2005, the annual press
freedom prize of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN). Website: http://www.alayaam.net |
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| Al Sahafa |
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Language: Arabic A left-leaning, independent daily with ties
to the opposition, in particular the Sudanese Communist Party, Al Sahafa
was suspended in 2003 and its editor-in-chief Adel Al Baz was imprisoned in
2006. Al Sahafa has a high-quality website. Website: http://www.alsahafa.info |
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| Al Sudani |
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Language:
Arabic An
independent daily, Al Sudani provides comprehensive and critical
coverage of the Sudanese political life. It has a special section on
parliamentary activities. The newspaper provides critical coverage of local
news, though to a lesser degree on Darfur. It publishes a wide range of
columnists and boasts a large sports section. Al Sudani has been
suspended repeatedly, last time in May 2007, when the Sudanese authorities
punished the paper for publishing an editorial about money laundry, which also criticised
the Minister of Justice. The writer of the editorial, Othman Al Mir Ghani, and
the editor-in-chief, Mahjoub Arwa, were both imprisoned. Website: http://www.alsudani.info |
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| Ray Aam |
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Language: Arabic A leading independent newspaper with Arab nationalist sympathies, strong connections to the Islamist government and a vociferous anti-Western attitude about the Darfur crisis, Al Ray Al Am on a daily basis publishes a series of columns touching on a wide range of political, social and cultural issues. In spite of the paper’s strong relations to the government, it has not been spared the increasing state security harassment of the Sudanese press. In 2006, Al Ray Al Aam was subpoenaed by the National Security for misinformation on the country’s relations with Egypt. Website: http://www.rayaam.net |
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| Sudan Vision |
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Language:
English An
English-language newspaper that sympathizes with the autonomous government of
South Sudan, Sudan Vision is distributed mainly in the capital city of Khartoum
but produced by and mostly for the Southern Sudanese. The paper has a special
section on South Sudan through Focus on South, on Sub-Saharan Africa in Africa
in Focus and on Darfur in Darfur Hot. It features a special
Christian section called Sunday Vision. Website:
http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com |
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