The Committee to Protect Journalists has strongly condemned the killing of the Sudanese Mr. Khalid Batal in the country’s western region of Darfur.
In a statement extended to the Golden Times on Wednesday by the CPJ’s New York-based office, it says Journalist Batal was killed in El Fasher, the state capital of North Darfur by armed combatants.
CPJ further called on the Sudanese authorities to investigate and hold to account those responsible for killing the journalist and urged all parties to the conflict in the restive state to respect members of the press.
“We are shocked by the brutal killing of journalist Khalid Batal in his own home by armed combatants,” the CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mr. Sherif Mansour said in a statement.
“We urge the Sudanese authorities to promptly investigate Batal’s killing and ensure justice for this crime. All parties to the war in Sudan must respect journalists’ safety and cease killing members of the press who are civilians,” he added.
The statement says Journalist Batal who was media director at the Sudanese government’s Supreme Council for Media and Culture, was shot dead inside his home, according to news reports and two local journalists, who spoke with CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
Batal was also a member of the local trade union, the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, according to the same sources. However, the press Watchdog, says it was unable to determine which armed group was responsible for Batal’s killing.
Sudan plunged into chaos in April 2023 when clashes erupted in the capital, Khartoum, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a paramilitary group known as Rapid Forces (SRF).
The two local journalists who spoke to the CPJ attributed Batal’s death to his long career in journalism.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says it will continue to investigate the circumstances of Batal’s death.
It says emails to the warring factions SAF and the RSF requesting comment on Batal’s death were futile.
