DOHA: The withdrawal of the licence of Al Jazeera News Network in Khartoum and the shutting down of its office by Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) is a huge setback for the Sudanese revolution and a breach of international conventions that protect media freedom, say analysts.
The shutdown also coincides with the alleged decision of the Sudanese military forces to recall Sudan’s ambassador to Qatar for consultations. Both developments are seen as the tightening of the grip on the revolution by the TMC.
The latest developments in Sudan, including the crackdown on protesters by the military forces and the meddling by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, show that the Sudanese revolution is moving towards the fate of Egyptian revolution. In Egypt, the military sabotaged people’s bid for democracy and grabbed power.
Qatar Press Center (QPC) has condemned the decision of Transitional Military Council to close Al Jazeera office without giving any reasons. QPC stressed that Al Jazeera’s team in Khartoum works with integrity and impartiality despite the great obstacles that face it. QPC said the Military Council’s decision is against the will of the Sudanese people, who are demanding freedom and civilian rule.
QPC also said the closure of the office of Al Jazeera network is not a punishment for the network, but is the punishment of millions of Sudanese and Arabs in the region by denying them access to coverage of the developments in the country.
Any failure of Sudanese revolution will have huge consequences for the Arab world. The intervention of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the country with the clear intention of sabotaging the popular movement has caused concern among Sudanese protesters and the Arab world.
The Saudi-UAE combine is now meddling in the four largest Arab countries in the world – Egypt, Algeria, Libya and now Sudan. The region is sliding back into the 1960s, a period which was marked by military rule in the major countries of the Middle East, say experts.