On March 25, 2026, the Sudanese authorities arrested journalist Hajar Sulaiman, a reporter at local newspaper Sudania, at her home in the East Nile locality of Khartoum State, following a complaint by the prosecutor’s office in the city of Dongola, the capital of Sudan’s Northern State.
Sulaiman’s arrest stems from an article she wrote in March 2026, on corruption and misconduct within Dongola’s prosecutor’s office, according to a local journalist who is following the case and spoke with CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal, and news reports. The article, which has since been removed from the Sudania website, details how a livestock export agent who reported an camel theft was instead accused of collaborating with militias, while the suspects were released and the seized camels were controversially sold below market value before court proceedings concluded.
As of end of March 2026, authorities had not disclosed the specific charges against her or the reason for her arrest, the local journalist told CPJ.
Sulaiman was previously arrested on October 13, 2025, and released on bail later that day, following a complaint against her by the Central Bank of Sudan over her reporting for Sudania, where she exposed alleged corruption within the institution, according to the local journalist. The article, which has also been removed from the newspaper’s website, examined the influence of family interests over the bank’s management, raising concerns about transparency and accountability in Sudan’s financial institutions.
CPJ emailed the Sudanese government spokesperson and the Sudanese Armed Forces but did not receive a response.