Sudanese journalist Ataf Mohamed Mokhtar, editor-in-chief of the independent Sudanese outlet Al-Sudani, was arrested from his home in Cairo on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, according to a Facebook post by Al-Sadiq Al-Rizaigi, head of the General Union of Sudanese Journalists, and several media outlets. Egyptian authorities have made no official announcement regarding the legal basis for his detention or his whereabouts.
Al-Rizaigi said the arrest relates to Ataf's journalistic work and the views he has expressed on issues concerning Sudan and the war.
On September 15, after a week in detention, Egyptian authorities released Ataf.
Ataf is a prominent Sudanese journalist with more than 125,000 followers on X. He regularly appears as a political commentator on several outlets, including, recently, the Saudi-owned Al Hadath channel.
One of Ataf's most recent posts on X commented on a UN experts report on Sudan that found links between the United Arab Emirates and the war, which the UAE has consistently denied. Several outlets reported that an official complaint by the UAE may be the reason behind his arrest. CPJ could not independently verify this.
Egyptian security forces have systematically used enforced disappearance — characterized as a state-sponsored arrest or abduction followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person's fate or whereabouts — to target journalists, who are often mistreated prior to being presented with charges.
Egypt is one of the world's leading jailers of journalists, with 19 currently behind bars.
CPJ emailed Egypt's Public Prosecutor's Office for comment but did not receive an immediate response.