Sky News Arabia Accused of Downplaying Alleged Darfur Massacres Amid UAE Ties

Sky News Arabia Accused of Downplaying Alleged Darfur Massacres

Sky News Arabia has been accused by Sudanese officials, human rights researchers and some journalists of sanitising coverage of alleged mass atrocities in Darfur after footage emerged showing one of its correspondents embracing a commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese government. The commander has been linked in other reports to calls for sexual violence against civilians.

The correspondent, who is married to a senior RSF official, was among the first journalists to arrive in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. Analysts say the RSF’s campaign across Darfur may have resulted in thousands — possibly tens of thousands — of deaths.

Critics highlight several instances in which Sky News Arabia broadcast material questioning or downplaying satellite imagery and other evidence of mass killings. In one broadcast, a doctor working at Saudi Hospital in El Fasher — where independent reports estimate hundreds were killed — told the channel he had not seen any dead bodies, despite other investigations that indicate large-scale fatalities at that facility.

Sky News Arabia has also published articles and short videos that challenge the veracity of satellite images showing piles of bodies and bloodstains in El Fasher. One story pointed to an erroneously labelled Google Earth image of livestock watering holes that had been misidentified online as a massacre site and cited an expert on disinformation claiming some imagery had been fabricated. Yale Humanitarian Research Lab and other analysts, however, say intelligence-grade satellite imagery shows a pattern consistent with a two-stage assault: RSF vehicles blocking escape routes, numerous body-shaped objects in the streets with red discolouration consistent with blood, and evidence of freshly dug graves and burn pits.

“They cannot engage with the actual evidence in the reports,” said Nathaniel Raymond, director of Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, in response to Sky News Arabia’s scepticism about the satellite analysis.

On 9 November, Sky News Arabia reporter Tsabih Mubarak Khatir was filmed hugging Shiraz Khalid, an RSF commander whose social-media posts have included inflammatory statements. A clip of the encounter briefly appeared on the commander’s TikTok account, and in the footage the reporter is heard saying, “We are with you.” Sky News Arabia said the interaction was being addressed internally and described it as part of the complexities of reporting in an active war zone.

The allegations of biased coverage arrive amid scrutiny of Arabic-language reporting more broadly, including criticism of other outlets for their Gaza coverage. They also focus attention on Sky News Arabia’s ownership: the channel is a joint venture between Sky and International Media Investments (IMI), an Abu Dhabi-controlled investment fund. IMI is part of a consortium led by US private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners that has proposed taking a minority stake in The Telegraph — a move under review by UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.

Sudan’s ambassador to the UK, Babikir Elamin, told The Telegraph he believed Sky News Arabia was helping to conceal an “ongoing genocide” and “whitewashing the face of the killers.” Sky News Arabia’s spokesman rejected such accusations as "outrageous and unfounded," saying the channel has reported on crimes committed by both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and that coverage has been "balanced and comprehensive."

US intelligence and other analysts have reported that the UAE has provided material support to actors linked to the RSF as part of efforts to expand influence over Sudan’s agricultural land, coastline and mineral resources; the UAE denies supporting the RSF. The Sudanese government has barred Sky News Arabia from operating inside the country.

Observers also point to institutional concerns about editorial independence. When Sky News Arabia launched in 2012, an editorial advisory committee was established to preserve UK editorial standards. Former members and executives interviewed by The Telegraph say that committee’s influence has diminished over time, while Sky News Arabia maintains the committee continues to operate to high standards.

IMI and the RedBird-led consortium have said any investment in The Telegraph would be non-controlling and accompanied by safeguards for editorial independence. Sudanese activists and press-freedom advocates, however, warn that any ties between media outlets and state-linked investors from countries with limited press freedom could raise legitimate concerns.

Reporters Without Borders ranked the UAE 164th out of 180 countries in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index. Human rights groups and US agencies continue to investigate allegations of weapon flows and funding to the RSF through entities linked to UAE figures.

This unfolding dispute underscores larger questions about media ownership, editorial independence and the verification of evidence in conflict reporting. Sky News Arabia remains accessible to millions across the region and internationally, while the debate over its coverage continues to prompt calls for transparent, independent investigation of the allegations from human-rights groups and media watchdogs.