RSF paramilitary group detains 3 female journalists in Sudan’s Darfur

New York, March 16, 2026 – Sudan’s paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) must immediately release Nyala State Radio reporters Mawaheb Ibrahim, Zahraa Muhammad Al-Hassan, and Ishraqah Abdulrahan, a presenter and host at the radio station, who have been detained in Nyala, South Darfur, since February 28, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

“The Rapid Support Forces must immediately release Nyala Radio journalists Mawaheb Ibrahim, Zahraa Muhammad Al-Hassan, and Ishraqah Abdulrahman and stop arbitrarily detaining members of the press,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Journalists in Sudan are already working under extremely dangerous conditions amid a devastating war, and detaining reporters only further restricts the flow of information from a conflict that remains severely underreported.”

On February 28, forces from the RSF arrested Ibrahim, Al-Hassan, and Abdulrahman in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, along with several other women and transferred them to Korea prison, after they attended a workshop for female journalists in the city. As of mid-March, they remained detained without formal charges, clear justification for their arrest, or being brought before a court, according to a local journalist following the case who spoke with CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate said in a recent statement that it is deeply concerned about a growing number of cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance targeting journalists across Sudan, including in Darfur and Sennar state.

The war in Sudan started in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, creating one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, and making Sudan one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.

Freelance journalist Muammar Ibrahim remains in the custody of the RSF since his arrest while fleeing El Fasher city, North Darfur, on October 26, 2025, according to a relative family member who spoke with CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. As of mid-March, the whereabouts of at least seven journalists remain unknown to their families and colleagues.

CPJ emailed the RSF through their website for comment but did not receive a response.