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Sudan journalists say news sites are blocked, gov’t remains silent

July 2, 2021 at 1:41 pm

A Sudanese man wears the national flag in Khartoum, Sudan on 22 January 2019 [STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images]

Dozens of Sudanese journalists condemned a move by the country’s authorities to block a number of news websites, Sudan Tribune reported.

The heads of 15 news websites said that their portals could no longer be accessed. Public prosecutors denied issuing orders to that effect.

The Sudanese government has stayed silent on the issue. Information Minister and Government spokesperson Hamza Baloul could not be reached for comment, according to Sudan Tribune, despite the newspaper’s repeated attempts to contact him.

The blocked news websites include Baj NewsTara News and Azza Press.

Lina Yagoub, the head of Baj News, told the Sudan Tribune that concerned authorities have denied any knowledge of the issue. She added that her website is partially blocked with some users able to access it while others could not.

She added that the blocking of news websites, including Baj News, is a “clear and serious violation of media freedoms.”

Yagoub said that she could not accuse the government of blocking the sites since no official body was “brave enough to claim responsibility” for the move.

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