Conflict & Security

Press Group Calls for Extension of UN Sudan Fact-Finding Mission

By NowinAfrica Editorial Board • August 23, 2026 • Conflict & Security

A wide view of Khartoum showing the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers with city buildings in the background under a hazy sky. — Mohammed Abdelmoneim Hashim Mohammed / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for the renewal of the United Nations independent fact-finding mission on Sudan, according to Oz Arab Media, citing the deteriorating situation for media workers since the start of the country’s armed conflict.

The Sudanese conflict, which erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian and displacement crises and raised persistent alarm among press freedom advocates. CPJ, a New York-based press rights organisation founded in 1981, has repeatedly documented killings, arbitrary detentions and censorship imposed on journalists operating in Sudan, including those attempting to report from both Khartoum and the conflict-affected western region of Darfur.

The UN Human Rights Council established the independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Sudan. CPJ’s appeal for an extension falls within the body’s broader mandate to document abuses against civilians, including media professionals, as fighting has displaced millions and reduced access to independent reporting.

According to Oz Arab Media, press freedom groups argue that extending the mission’s mandate would help ensure continued international scrutiny of attacks against journalists at a time when international media access inside Sudan remains severely restricted. With communications blackouts and mass displacement hampering newsgathering, CPJ and allied organisations have stressed that independent international monitoring is among the few remaining avenues for accountability.

The question of an extension is expected to be considered by UN member states in the coming months as the current mandate approaches its scheduled review.