New York, August 5, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of freelance journalist Alrayah Isam Gaksa, a contributor to local news website Hekaiyat and Baankhi Press, who was detained by the Sudan Shield Forces, an armed group allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), while returning from a work assignment in central Sudan’s Wad Madani.
According to a statement by the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate (SJS), members of the armed group led by Commander Abu Aqla Keikel, which operates as a component of the Sudanese Armed Forces-aligned security coalition, stopped Gaksa at the entrance to Wad Madani on August 2 after he returned from covering activities at the Faculty of Education of Al-Jazirah University. The armed men reportedly forced him out of the vehicle he was traveling in and took him to an undisclosed location. As of August 4, his whereabouts remain unknown, according to a local journalist who spoke with CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
“The detention of freelance journalist Alrayah Isam Gaksa is yet another reminder of the grave dangers facing journalists in Sudan,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “The Sudan Shield Forces must immediately reveal Gaksa’s whereabouts and guarantee his safe release. Armed groups must not target journalists for carrying out their work.”
The SJS condemned the incident, describing it as part of an escalating pattern of violations against journalists since Sudan’s civil war began in April 2023.
In a statement issued on August 4, the Sudan Shield Forces denied arresting a journalist but acknowledged that an individual wanted on allegations related to national security had been detained at one of their checkpoints in Al-Jazirah. According to the statement, he was transferred to the relevant security authorities. The group did not identify the detainee by name.
Gaksa is now among at least nine missing journalists in Sudan, most confirmed to be held by the paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since the war, members of the press have faced killings, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, assaults, threats, and the destruction of media infrastructure as fighting between the SAF and the RSF raged across the country.
CPJ emailed the SAF for comment but did not receive a response.