Sudan to Ban WhatsApp Voice and Video Calls Over Security Concern
The Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority has announced a nationwide ban on WhatsApp voice and video calls effective on July 25, citing national security concerns. In a statement by the regulator, it was confirmed that text messaging and group chats will remain unaffected, but urged users to accept the restrictions.
The decision has provoked widespread criticism, with activists and digital rights defenders describing it as an attack on freedom of communication. Digital policy expert Ammar Hamouda said the move reflects a combination of security, political, and commercial motives.
The government previously framed similar restrictions in economic terms, but the security justification now takes precedence while civilians are ignored. Many WhatsApp users are now turning to VPNs, satellite services like Starlink, or foreign SIM cards to stay connected.
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Sudan:
Sudan to Block WhatsApp Calls Citing Security Concerns
Dabanga, 21 July 2025
Sudan's Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority has announced a nationwide block on voice and video calls via WhatsApp, effective Friday, 25 July, citing national security… Read more »
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Sudan:
Digital War and Violence Against Women On the Rise
Dabanga, 20 July 2025
By Malak Bala of the Women's Media Network for Sudan Media Forum Read more »
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Sudan:
Yale HRL Report Corroborates 'RSF Massacre' in North Kordofan
Dabanga, 21 July 2025
A new report by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) on Friday, corroborates accounts of the massacre by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Shaq El Noum, North… Read more »
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Sudan:
Sudan Timeline April-June 2025 - Bleak Hope Emerges Against Bloody Reality of Conflict
Dabanga, 19 July 2025
Reports of shelling, bombing, drone strikes, and attacks, where civilians are caught in the crossfire, continue to proliferate from the most remote villages to the major cities… Read more »
InFocus
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UN Human Rights chief, Volker Türk, has added his voice to the growing condemnation of civilian killings in Sudan's Kordofan region. In a statement, the Human Rights Office said it has verified the killings of at least 60 civilians by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Kordofan since July 10. Civil society groups have, however, reported that up to 300 people were killed in the latest clashes in the northeast
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The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres has warned that mass killings and starvation threaten hundreds of thousands of people trapped in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
In a report published on Thursday, which documents killings, sexual violence, and attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies, MSF said people are not only caught in the indiscriminate fighting between RSF
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The UN humanitarian organization has expressed concern about worsening conditions in Sudan, where violence persists and food and water shortages continue. Violent conflict continues, and food and water are in short supply.
Since April 2023, an estimated
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