Authorities in Sudan have finally allowed the Al Hadath channel to resume operations, the station confirmed through a news bulletin on Tuesday.
The operations of Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels along with Sky News Arabia were suspended in Sudan on 2 April.
In a press release, the Ministry of Culture and Information defended the closure, saying the channels did not adhere to transparency and professionalism in addition to not renewing the necessary licenses to continue operating in the country.
There has however been no statement from Sky News Arabia indicating the resumption of its operations in the country.
Other channels affected by the decision include; Gulf Arab channels.
Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels belong to entities affiliated with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, while Sky News Arabia belongs to entities affiliated with the United Arab Emirates.
A report aired by Sky News Arabia in late March about the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a terrorist organization that emerged in Iraq and Syria and claimed to establish an Islamic state, participating in fighting alongside the Sudanese Army against the Rapid Support Forces triggered widespread reactions and backlash from the government.
The Ministry of Culture stated that the channel aired a misleading video clip showing fighters affiliated with ISIS in another country other than Sudan.
The ministry’s statement accused the channel of executing the agenda of the United Arab Emirates.
The channel later acknowledged the credibility of the ministry’s statements regarding the video clip but stated that it was an “unintentional error” that did not affect the report’s content.
A media researcher, Abd Al-Jaleel Suleiman, told Radio Tamazuj that the decision to suspend Al Arabiya, Al Hadath, and Sky News channels came as a political decision made by the authorities in a moment of war.
“All or most decisions to suspend various media outlets are arbitrary in nature,” he said.
Al-Jaleel noted that many observers and political analysts anticipated that the authorities currently based in Port Sudan would reconsider the decision.
He attributed the government’s decision to allow the channels to resume operations to its inherently arbitrary nature as well as Saudi Arabia’s stance on the ongoing conflict in Sudan, characterized by “a lot of neutrality,” along with its positive role in ending the crisis in Sudan through hosting the Jeddah platform.
He added that Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels continued to operate during their coverage of the crisis in Sudan with what he described as “balance and professionalism.”
According to Al-Jaleel, many political forces aligned with SAF and the Islamist supporters of the Army, continue to believe that the two channels were close to the Sudanese Armed Forces.
Regarding the failure to allow Sky News Arabia offices to resume operations alongside Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels, Al-Jaleel noted that it is indicative of the government’s stance towards the United Arab Emirates.
He however anticipates that the authorities will allow Sky News to operate in Sudan by May, attributing its reopening to the strong possibility of the United Arab Emirates participating in the upcoming Jeddah platform.
“These decisions are merely political and these channels have not committed any professional or legal violations in their media work,” Al-Jaleel stated. “Sky News Arabia even apologized when it made a mistake.”