This archive report was first published on 8 January 2020.
On January 7, 2020, Sudan's transitional authorities made a significant move to dismantle institutions linked to former President Omar al-Bashir's government. A committee tasked with this responsibility decided to ban two newspapers and two television stations, citing funding from Bashir's government.
The banned publications include the dailies Al-Sudan and Al-Ray Al-Am, as well as satellite channels Ashrooq and Teeba. According to committee member Taha Othman, the ban covers the parent companies of these institutions as well.
"These institutions were funded by the state and we want to return the money to the Sudanese people," said Mohamed al-Fekki, a member of Sudan's transitional ruling council.
However, Diaa al-Din Belal, editor-in-chief of Al-Sudani, denied receiving funds from Bashir's government. "We operate under a private company and we did not receive any funds from a party or a government authority," he said.
Former President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April 2019 after mass protests against his three-decade rule. He was later sentenced to two years' imprisonment for corruption in December 2019. The ousted autocrat was also charged with illicitly receiving millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia.
