Sudan Conflict: Al Jazeera Bureau Chief Arrested in Khartoum, EU Condemns

Al Jazeera has stated it held Sudan's military government responsible for the safety of its staff.

Image used for representational purposes only. 

Al Jazeera. 

In Sudan, a country being rocked by protests after a recent military coup, security forces raided the home of Al Jazeera's Khartoum bureau chief, El Musalmi El Kabbashi, and arrested him, Reuters reported on Saturday, 14 November.

Al Jazeera has condemned the arrest "in the strongest terms" and has stated that it held Sudan's military government responsible for the safety of its staff.

"Al Jazeera condemns in the strongest terms the reprehensible actions of the military and calls on the authorities to release El Kabbashi immediately and to allow its journalists to operate unhindered," the statement said.

Al Jazeera's statement on the arrest.

A detailed explainer on the current Sudan conflict and the latest coup can be found here.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, a pro-democracy organisation, has said that since the protests started, more than 200 people have been injured and the death toll has risen to 22.

The European Union also put out a statement condemning the killings and the arbitrary arrests of journalists.

"With reference to the joint statement of the Troika, EU, and Switzerland last Friday, the EU condemns in the strongest terms the violence perpetrated against peaceful civilian protestors on Saturday, 13 November."

"We are also very worried about the detention of journalists. Freedom of expression, access to information and ability to communicate are part and parcel of the basic freedoms and universal human rights", the statement added.

(With inputs from Reuters, Al Jazeera, and the European Union)