In his opening remarks, Mr Mohamad Latif, General Manager, Teeba Press welcomed the participants and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting independent, ethical, fact-based journalism even within the context of the ongoing Sudan conflict. He stressed that Sudanese journalists in exile carry a heavy responsibility, as they remain among the few voices capable of informing audiences responsibly during a time in which the truth is heavily contested, weaponised and manipulated. He emphasised that conflict-sensitive reporting is not only a professional skill, but a moral obligation when covering a war that impacts millions of civilians. He thanked KAS for the partnership that made it possible to deliver this critical capacity-building initiative.
On behalf of KAS RP SIPODI East Africa, Andrew Ssemujju, thanked Teeba press for organising the workshop and highlighted that supporting Sudanese journalists during this period of war is directly aligned with KAS’ mandate of strengthening regional peace, dialogue and security. He also noted that media actors are essential partners in preventing escalation and reducing harm by ensuring that information is not used to inflame tensions.
The training was conducted by five facilitators specialised in conflict-sensitive journalism, digital security, peace media, Sudan’s war information ecosystems and trauma-informed interviewing. Over the five days, the training covered thematic areas including the principles and frameworks of conflict sensitive journalism, recognising harmful language, incitement and hate speech, resisting pressure from warring parties and propaganda influencers, ensuring balanced context in war reporting, verification skills in polarised environments, digital safety and operational security for journalists in exile, and psychological care considerations when working with war victims and traumatised sources.
The participants noted that the training enabled them to identify common mistakes in their past work, especially during breaking news coverage, and provided them with practical tools to avoid unintentionally amplifying disinformation or sectarian narratives. The participants also strengthened collaboration networks among themselves and established a peer-coordination channel for information verification and safe content sharing. Both Teeba Press and KAS believe that these professional networks are essential to ensure responsible media content on Sudan at a time when public information is heavily manipulated.
At the conclusion of the training, Mr. Mohamad Latif, expressed his gratitude for the remarkable journey of learning and exchanging and thanked KAS for accepting their request to have such a training. He committed that the acquired knowledge will be used constructively. On behalf of KAS, Juliet Uwera, a Project Officer at RP SIPODI East Africa closed off the training thanking Teeba Press for organising the workshop and applauding facilitators for delivering high-quality, relevant, and thought-provoking sessions throughout the week. She appreciated their expertise and passion and highlighted that the training was the beginning of a network, a support system, and a continued journey of learning for the Sudanese journalists in exile.
About this series
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its educational institutions, centres and foreign offices, offer several thousand events on various subjects each year. We provide up to date and exclusive reports on selected conferences, events and symposia at www.kas.de. In addition to a summary of the contents, you can also find additional material such as pictures, speeches, videos or audio clips.