The War Silences The Mass Media

Sudan Events – Report by Magda Hassan

As evaluation of performance of the Sudanese mass media outlets during times of war in the fields of arts, and before searching for the specific topic, it was revealed that some media outlets have even lost their broadcasting qualifications, and that the equipment of these devices is sold in the markets as looted items.

Loot equipment
The Journalists Syndicate condemned in a statement yesterday that, according to documented testimonies, the Rapid Support Forces RSF offered Sudanese radio equipment for sale in the markets of the city of Omdurman, and the (Sudania 24) and (Al-Balad) channels in Khartoum were vandalized and all equipment was looted, in addition to the looting of the BBC office. In Khartoum, equipment related to the Blue Nile Canal was also seen for sale in (Libya market ) in the city of Omdurman.

Lack of knowledge
Satirical writer Dr. Fath Al-Aleem Abdullah, at the University of Khartoum, said in an interview to Sudan Events on his evaluation of the Sudanese media in times of war that the media is services that need stability, security, resources, and competencies, just like health, education, and agriculture.
Therefore, its giving fluctuates in the lack of these data, and perhaps he does not have a reputation, especially since his human cadres are dispersed in the regions and neighboring countries, and in this case the media is limited to fragments.
Concerning news of war and destruction, this news often comes through social platforms from people who have no knowledge in the field of media or even communication sciences.

A Frustrating Truth
Broadcaster and program director at the Sudanese Radio, Abdel-Azim Awad, said that the frustrating truth is that there are no media outlets in this dark era of Sudan’s history.
We, the people of Sudan, have become plundering dirty channels like Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, then the media brokers on Facebook and WhatsApp groups.
This is a frustrating talk, but it is the truth.

Personal Impressions
Director Mutasim Al-Juili, director of the Harmony and Sanabel channels, said in an interview to be published later, that the media at this period has mixed up the ropes: professionalism has completely ended except from some parties with confidence in credibility: the media is now a media that reports facts and not a media of change. Now the popular media is dominated by people’s personal impressions no(lives), which have become highly followed. Social media spread many rumors that affected the path of war and the way both sides thought.
In any case, many media outlets left the service, leaving nothing but their logo on the screen, and new channels entered broadcasting, such as the Zarqa channel, which broadcasts from Cairo, and others are trying to resume broadcasting, and they all participate in broadcasting tributes and enthusiastic patriotic songs in keeping with this time.