The state-owned radio and television studios in Nyala town of South Darfur State have almost been reduced to ruins following the war between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), authorities said.
The authorities said the studios suffered near destructions due to their proximity to the battlefield where SAF and RSF forces fought the nine-month protracted battle.
The Director of Radio Nyala, Ahmed Abdel Rahim Abu Ashra, told Radio Tamazuj that Radio Nyala was established in 1983 after Radio Juba. He added that after the secession of South Sudan, it became the second radio in Sudan after the Sudanese Radio (Omdurman).
Abu Ashra said due to its origin and the geographical extent of the spread of its broadcast, Radio Nyala covers The Darfur region, Kordofan, and some western neighbouring countries.
“Radio Nyala contributed to changing the form of societal awareness of the people of Darfur, and dozens of broadcasters graduated.”
Speaking during the celebrations to mark this year’s World Radio Day, Abu Ashra revealed the extent of the destruction to which the radio was subjected was “unimaginable.”
“I hope that peace would be achieved and that Radio Nyala would resume broadcasting, to contribute to community awareness, acceptance of others, and participation in rebuilding what was destroyed by the war,” he said.
A listener of the radio and the popular poet, Hussein Mohammed al-Mahdi, said that he and thousands of listeners hope that Radio Nyala will resume broadcast services, adding that they were eager to listen to its programs.
He appealed to the state government to ensure the radio resumes broadcast services because of its significance in providing information to the people of Darfur.