International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
Press Release
14 October, 2025
Sudan: Journalist killed by paramilitary group in El Fasher
Al Nour Suleiman, the editor and presenter of El Fasher Radio in North Darfur, died of his injuries on 4 October, following a drone strike on his home one day earlier by the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Sudanese Journalists’ Union (SJU), in condemning in the strongest possible terms this killing. They also call for a swift investigation to ensure the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice.
Suleiman’s home in the Al-Daraja Al-Ula neighbourhood of El Fasher was hit by a drone strike carried out by the RSF on 3 October, Al Jazeera reported. The journalist, who was transferred to the Saudi hospital – the only functioning hospital in the besieged city of El Fasher, North Darfur, – died of his wounds the day after.
Suleiman worked as editor and presenter of El Fasher Radio and was also the media director at the Governor’s Office in El Fasher.
According to local media reports, this strike followed indiscriminate shelling by the paramilitary group on the Quran Market in the Abu Shoulk neighbourhood, where at least 17 civilians lost their lives and 30 others were injured.
The Sudanese Journalists’ Union (SJU) issued a statement condemning Suleiman’s killing and denouncing the multiple violations that journalists and the media have been subjected to by the RSF since the war started in 2023. “Because of the war, over 90% of journalists in the country have lost their jobs, and many fled to neighbouring countries. More than 60 journalists have been arrested and [in some cases] journalists were attacked in their homes […]”, the statement reads.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger warned that the situation in the besieged city of El Fasher is disastrous and that the IFJ has documented cases where the RSF deliberately targeted journalists and media houses to silence them: “The RSF has been involved in the systematic killing of journalists since the war began in 2023 and it should be held responsible for its brutal actions against journalists and media workers, who were simply doing their jobs. We call on the country’s authorities to launch an investigation, so that the perpetrators of this outrageous killing are brought to justice. Crimes against journalists should not go unpunished.”
In 2025, five journalists have been killed so far in Sudan, according to IFJ data.
For more Information, please contact the IFJ – Africa Office
1st Floor, Maison de la Presse, 5 Rue X Corniche, Medina,
BP 64257, Dakar, Senegal
Tel: +221- 33 959 43 67 / 221 77 619 02 77
