Abdulmoniem Abu Idrees, 58, Khartoum correspondent for the Agence France-Presse news agency, was elected the union’s first president in a vote on Sunday. “It’s historic,” he said. “It will be a notable day for the unions, a day in which we exercise our democracy under a military rule and despite all the manacles that prevent[ed] us from doing so. I believe that other professions will follow suit.” The last independent journalists’ union was dissolved in 1989 when Omar al-Bashir came to power. Under Bashir, journalists experienced imprisonment and torture. Hundreds were arrested, some spending years behind bars for covering stories the government didn’t like. n 2016, an unofficial alliance of doctors, lawyers, journalists and teachers formed the Sudanese Professionals Association to campaign for rights. It played a prominent role in demonstrations that led to the ousting of Bashir in 2019 and the formation of a transitional, civilian-led government. Journalists enjoyed a margin of freedom under the new government, but since the army seized power in a coup in October 2021, journalists have been threatened and arrested, including prominent journalist Fayez Seleik.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
More Stories
Mo Ibrahim’s Index Looks at Africa’s State of Governance
France to Give Burkina Faso What It Wants
Africa Has to Work on Feeding Itself
Mali Basketballer Disappointed with Treatment after Whistleblowing
Kenya Changes the Rules of Engagement
For Many, the Pope’s Visit is the Peace they Need
Algeria Unveils Series of Policies Aimed at Eliminating its Dependence on Fossil Fuels
Lagos Seaport Garners Support from the Masses
Sierra Leone Women Given Right to Own Land
History About East Africa’s Art Scene
Uganda Launches its First Oil Drilling Programme
Looking at a Decade of Uber’s Operations in Africa