LONDON: Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim was detained by the Rapid Support Forces on Sunday as the paramilitary group consolidated its advance in El-Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur.
Ibrahim, a freelance reporter and regular contributor to Al Jazeera Mubasher, was taken into custody just hours after the RSF announced it had seized control of the city, the last remaining Sudanese military stronghold in Darfur, which became the center of fighting in recent months as the RSF sought to consolidate control over the vast western region.
Described by fellow colleagues as “the last voice of Darfur,” Ibrahim was among the few journalists still documenting events from inside El-Fasher amid relentless airstrikes, a communications blackout, and a dire humanitarian situation that left over 200,000 civilians trapped since the onset of the RSF siege in April 2024.
A video that first circulated on RSF social media groups on Sunday showed Ibrahim surrounded by RSF fighters, identifying himself and confirming that he had been detained while attempting to leave the city.
In the clip, Ibrahim declares he is a neutral journalist, with loyalties to neither the Sudanese Armed Forces nor the RSF.
