Sudan Transitional Gov’t Bans Al Jazeera, Revokes Staff Permits

The offices of Al Jazeera Television in Sudan was ordered shut and the network’s licence withdrawn by the country’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) Friday.
According to the director of the Khartoum branch, officers appeared at the outlet, seize their belongings and instructed them that the TMC had revoked the work permits of all members of staff and correspondents effective immediately as well as banned the channel.
Al Jazeera released a statement denouncing the “abrupt” closure of the bureau and censoring of its reporters, calling it “a complete violation of the freedom of the press.”
No reason was given for the closure of the news agency’s offices.
“The network sees this as an attack on media freedom, professional journalism, and the basic tenets of the right for people to know and understand the reality of what is happening in Sudan,” the statement said.
A spokesman for the TMC announced that legal action will be taken against protesters in the capital and added that they are a threat to the country’s national security.
“The protest site has become unsafe and represents a danger to the revolution and the revolutionaries and threatens the coherence of the state and its national security,” General Bahar Ahmed Bahar, head of the central region in Khartoum, said.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera vows to continue coverage of Sudan “despite this political interference by the Sudanese authorities.”
“Al Jazeera is committed to the truth and providing a venue for the multiple sides of any issue, story, or event and will not be intimidated by the Sudanese authorities,” the network said.
Civilian forces and the military have been at odds since the ousting of Omar al-Bashir and are divided on how much power soldiers should have in a transitional government.
The protesters demand “limited military representation” on the council but the ruling generals refuse to relinquish power.