“Radio Dabanga, Radio Dabanga, Radio Dabangaaaa.” That’s what the happy one sounds jingle of the radio program of the same name. Sudanese listeners are updated daily about the latest news in their country. This does not happen on this channel from Khartoum, but from Amsterdam. Free press does not exist within the borders of Sudan, which is why it has moved abroad.
The past two days the broadcasts were less cheerful and they were all about the recent coup, says journalist Ibrahim Jadelkarim on the editorial board of the Radio Dabanga. In the cozy office, where there are several large canvas photos of Sudan, there is a small recording studio. A broadcast is recorded there twice a day. Millions of people listen to Radio Dabanga: in Sudan itself, but also Sudanese abroad. The station can be heard via shortwave radio, a satellite channel and online.
Start of this week the Sudanese army staged a coup d’état. Prime Minister Hamdok was arrested along with a number of senior officials. The head of the military council, General Burhan, declared a state of emergency and dissolved the government. The news of the coup came as a shock, says Jadelkarim. “My first reaction was anger, disappointment and frustration. There had been tensions in Sudan for some time and there were also signs of a coup. But if it really does happen, it will come as a surprise.”
Prime Minister Hamdok is a day after the military coup home again. His house is guarded by soldiers and it is unclear whether he can voluntarily leave the house in the north of the capital Khartoum. Other senior officials from his government are still in custody.
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