Front page of Al Ahdath, December 11, 2011 (IMCT 2012)

Al-Ahdath was a privately owned independent newspaper based in Khartoum, Sudan. After it was suspended indefinitely by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) in June 2012 it went out if business.

Period of Publication: 2009-2012

Owner: Adil Al Baz

Editor: Adil Al Baz

Background:

The paper was established by Adil Al Baz, the owner and editor-in-chief. During his stint as editor-in-chief of Al Sahafa (see below), Al Baz built up a reputation among Sudan’s prominent intellectuals, both in Sudan and abroad. This readership later switched to his new publication. Despite the censorship restrictions, Al Ahdath became a lively platform for political debate during the interim period of the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement) and enjoyed a wide circulation. Its editors and reporters included sympathizers with the SPLM, the CPS (Communist Party of Sudan) and the PCP (Popular Congress Party). The paper also became a platform for a younger generation of literati who experimented with themes and forms of expression that mirrored their urban Khartoum milieu. Adil Al Baz paid the price for this daringly permissive editorial strategy, and the paper was subjected to both subtle and frank financial punishments. Slowly, Al Ahdath was forced to silence the more critical voices on its pages, by and large, contributors from the Sudanese diaspora. However, in the post-secession period, it supported the peaceful resolution of the South Kordofan and the Blue Nile conflicts and backed a negotiated settlement to the disputes with South Sudan. However, it lost some of its leading editors to competing papers with more generous budgets, notably Al Sudani, or to self-enforced exile.

Source: The Sudanese press after separation – Contested identities of journalism. MICT 2012, Page 34.

The Sudanese press after separation – Contested identities of journalism - MICT 2012