Sudan Elects First Preparatory Committee for Journalists Syndicate in Three Decades

A Sudanese man reads a newspaper on Aug. 20, 2019, covering the court appearance of Sudan's deposed military ruler Omar al-Bashir during the opening of his corruption trial the previous day. - EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP
A Sudanese man reads a newspaper on Aug. 20, 2019, covering the court appearance of Sudan's deposed military ruler Omar al-Bashir during the opening of his corruption trial the previous day. - EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP
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Sudan Elects First Preparatory Committee for Journalists Syndicate in Three Decades

A Sudanese man reads a newspaper on Aug. 20, 2019, covering the court appearance of Sudan's deposed military ruler Omar al-Bashir during the opening of his corruption trial the previous day. - EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP
A Sudanese man reads a newspaper on Aug. 20, 2019, covering the court appearance of Sudan's deposed military ruler Omar al-Bashir during the opening of his corruption trial the previous day. - EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP

Sudanese journalists elected on Saturday the first Preparatory Committee in three decades to pave the way for the establishment of the Journalists Syndicate.

The last legitimate syndicate in the country was dissolved after ousted President Omar al-Bashir seized power in a military coup in June 1989.

More than 600 journalists working in newspapers, international and local television channels and radio stations, as well as official agencies and photographers took part in the meeting held by the constituent General Assembly.

The elected committee consists of 15 members, who managed to win the majority of votes in a smooth electoral process, which was monitored by union experts and representatives from the preliminary committees of doctors, lawyers and engineers syndicates.

Following the December 2019 revolution, the media was divided into three bodies before journalists presented an initiative to unify the press entities by establishing an assembly that allows the participation of all Sudanese journalists in the country and abroad.

Male and female journalists, representing different generations and ages in all visual, audio and print media, participated in the general assembly to establish their professional union, including members of the former syndicate.

The elected member of the preparatory committee, Abdul Hamid Awad, said that convening the General Assembly of Sudanese Journalists “is a historic day for the Sudanese press, as more than 80 percent of its participants were deprived of this experience under the toppled regime.”

Awad, who has been working in the field for more than 20 years, said this was the first time he nominates himself and wins in the elections.

He expected the committee to promote good governance and defend any violations of human rights and freedom of expression.

He wished for the upcoming syndicate to be part of the battle to regain and support the democratic transition and the peaceful transfer of power in the country, and play its role as the fourth authority to oversee the executive, judicial and legislative authorities.



Trump, Hosting Netanyahu, Urges End to Gaza War, Thinks That Is Not ‘Too Distant’ 

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, April 7, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, April 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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Trump, Hosting Netanyahu, Urges End to Gaza War, Thinks That Is Not ‘Too Distant’ 

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, April 7, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, April 7, 2025. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would like the war in Gaza to stop and thinks that will happen relatively soon, as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

Asked if he would deliver on his election campaign promise to end the war in Gaza, Trump said: "I'd like to see the war stop, and I think the war will stop at some point, that won't be in the too-distant future."

Israel launched the war after Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel has so far killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.

Trump said work was ongoing to free hostages held by Hamas, but said securing the release of all the hostages was "a long process."

Trump and Netanyahu spoke to reporters in the Oval Office after their meeting.

Following the January ceasefire that saw some hostages released, Netanyahu said, Israel was working on "another deal we hope will succeed."

"We're committed to getting all the hostages out, but also eliminating the evil tyranny of Hamas in Gaza and enabling the people of Gaza to freely make a choice to go wherever they want," he said.

Netanyahu said he had also discussed with Trump the US president's "bold vision" for the future of Gaza, a reference to a proposal for the US to take over the enclave that Trump put forward multiple times during the opening weeks of his administration.

Trump's plan has been globally condemned as a proposal for ethnic cleansing.

Trump on Monday said having "a peace force like the United States there controlling and owning the Gaza Strip would be a good thing" and once again suggested that Palestinians from Gaza could be moved to different countries.