Sudan TV Bans Political Talk Show on Army Directive

Samah Khater Sudan TV journalist

April 14, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The official Sudan Television banned, under direct instructions from the army, the broadcast of a talk show dealing with the Sudanese revolution issues and prospects for solutions to the current political strife.

Media advisor to the head of the military-led Sovereign Council Brig. Gen. Tahir Abu Haja recently criticized the sacked Sudan TV director, accusing him of opening the official TV to the anti-coup forces and ignoring the news of Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Abu Haja also said they would activate a series of measures to control and censure the media.

Samah Mubarak Khater, the presenter of the “From the Revolution onwards” told the Sudan Tribune on Thursday that the decision has been taken after a complaint from a Sudanese army brigadier general about statements made by a member of the Resistance Committees rejecting the participation of the military in any future transitional government.

“The brigadier general condemned the previous talks show and prevented the broadcast of the coming episode, despite the invitation of the army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdallah and a strategic expert to discuss the army’s visions and plans in the next stage,” Khater said without disclosing the name of the military official.

She added that the new Director-General of the National Radio and Television Corporation Ibrahim Al-Bazai and the TV Programme Director Aladdin al-Dhai directed them to stop broadcasting Wednesday’s episode.

“Also, they informed my colleague Rueda Mirghani that she would be suspended from work until the end of an investigation about the talk show,” she said without elaborating on the nature and cause of the investigation.

The new general director declined to comment on this development when he was reached by the Sudan Tribune.

The head of the Sovereign Council this week pledged to take measures to establish a conducive environment for a national dialogue process facilitated by the UNITAMS, African Union and IGAD.

However, the security services recently have been waging a large-scale arrest campaign targeting political activists of the resistance committees, the spearhead of the anti-coup protests.

(ST)