Broadcast media outlets, which are mainly state-controlled, are the main source of information, in addition to social media. They include the Sudan National Radio Corporation and Sudan National Broadcasting Corporation. Since the 25 October 2021 coup, journalists critical of authorities have been arrested, and the internet is often shut down in order to block the flow of information. Propaganda messages are broadcast by the state-owned media under the control of the military and many news outlets have stopped operating. The media blackout has been marked by proliferating false information, unrelenting pressure on independent outlets and journalists being targeted due to their work.

After 20 years of military dictatorship and an attempt at democratic transition in 2019, the military coup by Gen. al-Burhan in 2021 jeopardised the tentative progress with regard to press freedom. The Sudanese media regulator, the National Press and Publications Council, is authorised to shut down critical publications without a court order. The Ministry of Information manages broadcasting licences in a highly politicised fashion. The civil war that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces of Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the junta that has been ruling the country since 2021, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces under Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as  “Hemetti”, has exacerbated the situation for journalists, who are subjected to pressure, intimidation and attacks by the parties to the conflict.

Press freedom and access to information are guaranteed by the provisional constitution adopted in 2019. However, certain laws muzzle critical media. The 2020 Cybercrime Law limits journalists’ freedom, as does the 2009 Press and Printed Materials Act, which gave the National Council for Press and Publication greater control over publications. Finally, the 2010 National Security Act criminalises the publication of lies and “false information” and any content that “threatens public peace” or “weakens state prestige”. In a turning point in the defence of journalists, the media, and freedom of the press, an independent journalists’ union was re-established in August 2022, after 33 years of the media being muzzled under the al-Bashir dictatorship. The war has led to legislative changes granting the General Intelligence Service unlimited powers in matters of surveillance, search operations, seizure of funds, and arrests.

The allocation of state advertising to the media is based on cronyism and affinity with the government. Those that do not support government positions get no advertising. In the hope of improving their material and social conditions, some journalists feel they have to work with the military and armed movements. The pandemic had a big impact on the media, especially for women journalists, many of whom were laid off. The work of the media is hampered by frequent power cuts and by war damage to communications infrastructure, media premises and media equipment.

Sudan is a multicultural and multiethnic society where tolerance and coexistence are in jeopardy. Ethnic groups’ sensitivities are heightened. Accusations over perceived insults are increasing, with the media frequently a target. Interference by religious groups, which use their networks to defend their interests, are contributing to worsening conditions for journalists. The revolution came to represent greater outspokenness on social media, but poorly controlled and excessive, it fuels racism and misogyny, focusing on women and ethnic and sexual minorities.

Threats to journalists have intensified in recent years with the emergence of new militias and armed movements. During demonstrations, they are systematically attacked and insulted, or even arrested and tortured, by both the regular army and the Rapid Support Forces.  Journalists who criticise the authorities are monitored and women journalists, in particular, are subjected to intimidation, threats or reprisals. Those who harass and attack journalists are protected by the authorities and enjoy total impunity. The Sudanese Journalists Network and the Media and Human Rights Network are civil mechanisms that document violations. Since the start of the civil war in 2023, attacks on media outlets and  journalists — including murders, detention and disappearances — have increased significantly, forcing many of them to flee to neighbouring countries.