Sudanese freelance photojournalist Al-Shykh Al-Samany Saadaldyn Mousa Abdulla, also known as “Sheikho,” was killed May 18, 2025, in a suspected drone strike attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) while covering an event organized by the Sudan Shield Forces, a pro-Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) paramilitary group, in the Al-Butana region of central eastern Sudan.
The drone strike killed Sheikho and at least seven Sudan Shield Forces members and injured 14 others, according to those reports and a local journalist who spoke with CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
Sheikho was documenting the war in Sudan and regularly published his photography and coverage on his Facebook page, which has more than 20,000 followers. He was covering the event in a professional capacity as a photojournalist at the time of the attack.
CPJ’s email to the RSF about Sheikho’s death did not receive a reply.