London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Al Jazeera TV Chief In Sudan Arrested, 6 Killed In Protests

Al Jazeera TV Chief In Sudan Arrested, 6 Killed In Protests

Five were shot dead, while one died from "suffocation by tear gas", the medics said, who have recorded a total of 21 killed since the coup almost three weeks ago.

Sudanese security forces have arrested the bureau chief of Qatari-based Al Jazeera TV, the network said Sunday, a day after the latest crackdown on anti-coup protesters left at least six dead.

Among those killed were two teenagers, according to a medics' union.

Five were shot dead, while one died from "suffocation by tear gas", the medics said, who have recorded a total of 21 killed since the coup almost three weeks ago.

The army's October 25 power grab has derailed a transition to full civilian rule, sparked international condemnation and provoked regular protests.

The European Union on Sunday called on the junta "to return to the path of a fair and open dialogue with civilians", demanding "the release of all detainees including journalists" arrested since the putsch.

Sudan has a long history of military coups, enjoying only rare interludes of democratic rule since independence in 1956.

"Security forces raided the house of Al-Musalami al-Kabbashi, the Al Jazeera bureau chief in Sudan, and detained him," the network said on Twitter without elaborating.

 Media crackdown


Al Jazeera has given prominent coverage to demonstrations against the October 25 power grab, but last week it also aired a detailed interview with top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The protests, including by tens of thousands of people on Saturday, have continued despite internet outages forcing demonstrators to communicate via graffiti and SMS messages.

Among those killed on Saturday was Alsheikh Yasser Ali, 18, who was protesting in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman to demand civilian rule.

"I attended the body's autopsy, which showed that he took a bullet to the shoulder which hit the heart and the lungs," his uncle Zaher Ali told AFP. "I almost collapsed in the morgue."

Other media outlets besides Al Jazeera have been targeted since the putsch, when Burhan declared a state of emergency, detained the civilian leadership and removed the government installed after the April 2019 military ouster of autocratic president Omar al-Bashir.

Burhan, de facto head of state since Bashir fell, has sacked the heads of Sudan's state television and the official news agency.

The head of the media council granting journalist permits has also been switched, and handed back to Abdelazim Awad, who led the council during Bashir's authoritarian rule.

The coup has triggered punitive measures by Western countries and the World Bank, imperilling the impoverished country's need for investment and aid.

The United Nations has called on security forces to show restraint, in a country where more than 250 people had already died in mass protests leading to Bashir's ouster.

Britain's minister for Africa, Vicky Ford, said Sunday that she was "deeply concerned at reports of protesters killed", adding that Sudan's "military must listen to the huge numbers calling for restoration of the democratic transition".

 'Serious consequences'


The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell warned of "serious consequences" for support from the 27-member bloc.

Earlier, Washington's embassy in Khartoum said it regretted the loss of life and injuries to "dozens of Sudanese citizens demonstrating... for freedom and democracy."

Gunshots were heard as security forces tried to break up Saturday's protests, witnesses and AFP correspondents said.

But police denied using "live rounds" and said 39 of their personnel were "severely wounded" in confrontations with the protesters, whom they accused of attacking police stations.

Al Jazeera strongly condemned "the reprehensible actions of the military", called for it bureau chief's immediate release, and for its journalists to be able to work unhindered without fear or intimidation.

The network, which authorities ordered shut for about three months after Bashir's removal, defended the professionalism of its reporting.

The broadcaster said it "holds the Sudanese military authority responsible for the safety of all its employees".

The demonstrations came two days after Burhan, despite calls by the West, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for a return to the civilian-led transitional government, announced a new civilian-military ruling council with himself as head.

It excludes any members of the Forces for Freedom and Change, an umbrella alliance which was the main bloc seeking a transition to civilian rule.

Burhan insists the military's move "was not a coup" but a push to "rectify the course of the transition".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
×