Sudan stops Al Arabiya from operating after failing to renew their license

Sudan has stopped the Saudi and UAE-owned TV channels from working because they didn’t follow the rules and didn’t renew their licenses.

The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate criticized the information ministry’s decision, saying it goes against freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

The syndicate said on Tuesday that if satellite channels are closed and people in the media profession are restricted, it would stop professional media from speaking up. It would also allow rumors and hate speech to spread.

The decision is a result of scaring journalists who have been working in very hard conditions since the war started in April.

Al Hadath said that it has not been told about the decision to stop its channel and Al Arabiya in Sudan, in a post on X.

“We were shocked to find out that they decided to take Al Hadath and Al Arabiya channel off of state TV,” they wrote in another message on X.

The fighting in Sudan started almost a year ago because of disagreements about the army and a group called the Rapid Support Forces. This happened as Sudan was trying to transition to civilian rule and hold fair elections with backing from other countries.