DEMOCRACY DERAILED: SUDAN’S PRECARIOUS INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT - Despite less than a third of the country having direct access to the internet, Sudan’s rulers have seen online communication as a dangerous revolutionary tool in the hands of protesting citizens. Between December 2018, when protests against then-president Omar al-Bashir first broke out, and December 2022, when a framework agreement between civilian and military leaders came into play, Sudanese citizens were subjected to at least 138 days of internet disruptions. Yet online communication, from women-led Facebook groups ousting plain-clothed officers to Twitter accounts announcing key protest information, have played an important role in shaping Sudan’s political environment.

Report authors Tessa Knight, DFRLab, and Lujain Alsedeg, Code for Africa, will share their research, followed by an expert conversation on the importance of Sudan media’s ecosystem to a populace striving toward greater governmental representation and democracy. Panelists will discuss how the media and legal landscape in Sudan shapes online discourse, the influx of local and international disinformation targeting the country, and how activists have leveraged social media to combat government crackdowns on freedom of speech. Against the background of a conflict that has already taken hundreds of lives, panelists will discuss the impact of internet connectivity and the ability to provide live updates of fighting in some parts of the country.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 08/08/23