British Sky Withdraws from TV Project with UAE, Spurred by Sudan War

Sudanhorizon – Agencies
British network Sky announced on Sunday its withdrawal from its joint television news project with the UAE, Sky News Arabia, which has faced criticism for its coverage of the war in Sudan, amid accusations of genocide denial and whitewashing of abuses committed since the conflict began in mid-April 2023.
Sky and its partner, IMI, the investment arm controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Vice President, announced a new commercial agreement under which the British network will relinquish all strategic and operational ownership rights to the 24-hour Arabic-language news and current affairs service.
However, Sky UK has entered into a multi-year brand licensing agreement, allowing Sky News Arabia to retain its current name.
Sky News Group CEO David Rhodes said they were proud of what they have built through their partnership with IMI over the past years and the strong presence they have achieved in the region. He stressed that the time was right for this change, and they look forward to continuing their relationship in the next phase of Sky News Arabia’s journey.
Internally, Sky officials have grown increasingly concerned about the editorial direction adopted by Sky News Arabia in its coverage of regional news, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. The channel has faced accusations of whitewashing crimes committed in Sudan by the Rapid Support Forces, which, according to international investigations and UN Security Council reports, receive military and logistical support through networks linked to Abu Dhabi. This coverage has been described as downplaying or denying acts that amount to genocide, according to the same source.
The free-to-air channel, based in Abu Dhabi, was established in 2010 to compete with other Arabic news channels, and the joint venture began broadcasting in 2012.
Last November, the Sudanese government banned Sky News Arabia from operating within its borders after the channel sent a team to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, which produced a report claiming that the security and humanitarian situation in the city had stabilized.
Later, the channel published news reports and articles online indicating a lack of on-the-ground evidence to support the claims made in satellite imagery and testimonies from survivors of the atrocities committed there.
Last February, a UN fact-finding mission concluded that the siege, capture, and occupation of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for 18 months deliberately targeted and destroyed ethnic minority communities, in what it described as bearing “the hallmarks of genocide.” Abu Dhabi has denied any involvement in or responsibility for the violations or atrocities committed by the RSF. The original joint venture agreement was brokered by News Corporation, which controlled Sky at the time. Sky’s withdrawal from news operations in the region follows a similar move in Australia.

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