Journalists using Starlink to cover war on Facebook held in North Darfur
Members of the Sudan Liberation Movement–Transitional Council (SLM–TC), an armed group affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), arrested freelance journalists Nasr Yaqoub and Mohamed Ahmed Nazar on Monday, 7 July from a shop in Abu Shouk Camp market in El-Fasher, North Darfur.
Yaqoub and Nazar were released on 9 July, according to two local journalists following the case who spoke to the Committee to Protect Journalists on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
The arrest followed an incident on 5 July in which a member of the same group allegedly shot at Yaqoub after he refused to surrender a Starlink device, which is essential for Internet connectivity in the region, according to a Facebook post by Nazar, where he confirmed that Yaqoub was uninjured.
Yaqoub and Nazar were not covering an event during the arrest, but used the Starlink device to connect to the Internet and cover the war on Facebook for 5 000 followers on Yaqoub’s page and almost 10 000 followers on Nazar’s page, according to a local journalist following the case who spoke with CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
‘The arrest of freelance journalists Nasr Yaqoub and Mohamed Ahmed Nazar is a clear attack on the public’s right to know what is happening in Darfur,’ said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Sara Qudah. ‘Sudanese authorities must immediately release Yaqoub and Nazar and hold those responsible for firing at Yaqoub … to account.’
SLM–TC confirmed Yaqoub and Nazar’s detention to local news outlets after accusing the journalists of provocation and media incitement, according to the local journalist.
Residents in Darfur rely heavily on Starlink devices for internet access amid the collapse of war-torn Sudan’s formal communications infrastructure. Journalists using these networks face growing harassment and violence by armed groups operating with impunity, according to the journalist who spoke with CPJ
CPJ’s email to the SLM–TC requesting comment on Yaqoub and Nazar’s arrest did not receive a response.
Since the war broke out between the SAF and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, CPJ has documented at least 14 killed journalists and media workers across Sudan.
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
PICTURE: Members of an armed group affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces arrested freelance journalists Mohamed Ahmed Nazar (left) and Nasr Yaqoub at a shop in Abu Shouk Camp market in El-Fasher, North Darfur, on 7 July 2025 (CPJ/Credit withheld)
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