Radio Dabanga, Radio Dabanga, Radio Dabanga. This is what a happy person looks like Tone From the radio program of the same name. Sudanese listeners are updated daily with the latest news in their country. This does not happen on this channel from Khartoum but from Amsterdam. The free press does not exist within the borders of Sudan, which is why I moved abroad.
Journalist Ibrahim Gadelkarem in Radio Dabanga’s editorial board says that the broadcasts in the past two days have been less cheerful and have been dominated by the recent coup. In the cozy office, where several large canvases of Sudan are located, is a small recording studio. Broadcasts are recorded there twice a day. Millions listen to Radio Dabanga: in Sudan itself, but also abroad. The station can be heard over shortwave radio, satellite channel and over the Internet.
Earlier this week, the Sudanese army staged a coup. Prime Minister Hamdok was arrested along with a number of senior officials. The head of the Military Council, Major General Burhan, declared a state of emergency and dissolved the government. Jadelkarem says the news of the coup came as a shock. “My first reaction was anger, disappointment and frustration. There have been tensions in Sudan for some time and there have also been indications of a coup d’état. But if it really did happen, it would be a surprise.”
Prime Minister Hamdok returns home a day after the military coup. Soldiers guard his house and it is unclear if he can leave the house voluntarily in the north of the capital, Khartoum. Other senior officials of his government remain in detention.
