CAIRO — In a move long awaited by Sudanese journalists, three press bodies in Khartoum signed a press code of honor and other documents for the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, a big step toward reestablishing a professional union for journalists. The documents include draft statutes and a press code of honor, which will be presented to the members for discussion and final approval.

The signing was the culmination of efforts to restore the organization since the head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, dissolved syndicates and professional unions. Press entities in Sudan had been split since the coup of April 11, 2019, and the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.

The signing came as a result of an initiative by journalist Faisal el-Bagir, general coordinator of the Sudanese network Journalists for Human Rights, who stressed during his speech at the signing ceremony the importance of a syndicate to protect the rights of Sudanese journalists.

Bagir added that the syndicate “is in support of the Sudanese people and the slogans of the December revolution, upholding democracy, justice and human rights.”