logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2019
22m 28s

Fake news and false confessions in Sudan...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Trending investigates claims that innocent men were framed to try to discredit demonstrations against Sudan’s former leader Omar al-Bashir.

After mass street protests, the military stepped in to end President Bashir’s 30-year rule earlier this month. But the BBC has uncovered evidence that the regime organised a fake news campaign to try to portray peaceful protesters as violent rebels.

Students were allegedly tortured to make false confessions that were filmed and distributed online. However, social media played a critical role in exposing the attempted deception. Presenter: Anisa Subedar Reporter: Owen Pinnell Photo Caption: Demonstrators gather during a rally outside the army complex in the capital Khartoum. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Up next
Jun 2024
Trending is moving to the Documentary Podcast
BBC Trending's podcast feed is closing, but we'll be publishing new episodes in the BBC World Service's Documentary Podcast from now on. Search for The Documentary wherever you get your BBC podcasts, and subscribe to get new episodes of BBC Trending along with a range of exciting ... Show More
43s
Jun 2024
Colombia’s guerrilla recruitment video problem
Fighters from dissident armed groups in Colombia are using TikTok to glorify their lives as guerrillas and recruit youngsters.These armed groups didn't like the terms of a peace treaty negotiated between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government in 2016 ... Show More
18m 6s
Jun 2024
The Kenyan influencer championing climate denial
Jusper Machogu is a farmer from southwestern Kenya who describes himself as a “climate sceptic”: he wrongly claims that climate change is a “scam” or a “hoax” designed to hold Africa back. On social media, he has also become known as a staunch defender of fossil fuel exploration ... Show More
18m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2019
Same as the old boss? Crackdown in Sudan
Nearly two months after staging a coup, military leaders have brutally cracked down on protesters in Sudan. Talks with the opposition have fallen apart—as have hopes for a resurgent Sudanese democracy. We examine the rise in gun violence in Latin America and how much of it can be ... Show More
20m 42s
Mar 2021
Myanmar protesters face 'killing spree'
More than 70 protesters have been killed and nearly 2,000 detained since early February when the protest against the military coup began in Myanmar. Amnesty International says many of the killings documented amount to “extrajudicial execution” by military security forces. Still, ... Show More
19m 24s
Dec 2021
The messy aftermath of Sudan’s coup
For weeks after the military took over Sudan on October 25, an internet shutdown made it hard to speak with people inside the country. But even as a communications blackout meant news was only trickling out of Sudan, the situation on the ground was rapidly changing. After weeks o ... Show More
19m 28s
Jan 2022
Sudan’s painful struggle for democracy
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/c2a23023-df6b-49ed-af06-149bb0b35237 Three years of demonstrations have proved the Sudanese people’s strong desire for democratic change after decades of military rule. But this week the latest attempt to secur ... Show More
23m 41s
Dec 2023
Ep.450: La grande fuga dagli stupri in Sudan (se ne va anche l’Onu)
Idriss è una ragazza di 22 anni sudanese che si è salvata perché aveva il ciclo. E ha salvato anche sua sorella perché ha convinto il miliziano che è entrato dentro casa loro che avesse l’Aids. In Sudan dal 15 aprile c’è una guerra e in una striscia sottile di terra nel sud ovest ... Show More
9m 22s
May 2024
The Protesters and the President
Warning: this episode contains strong language.Over the past week, students at dozens of universities held demonstrations, set up encampments and, at times, seized academic buildings. In response, administrators at many of those colleges decided to crack down and called in the lo ... Show More
24m 35s
May 2019
A Dictator’s Fall in Sudan
After a brutal 30-year reign, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan has been deposed by his own generals. The story of one of those generals and his son could signal what comes next for the country. Guest: Declan Walsh, the Cairo bureau chief for The New York Times, spoke with ... Show More
20m 49s
Jan 2023
Arrests, Executions and the Iranian Protesters Who Refuse to Give Up
This episode contains descriptions of violence and injury. In September, protests began in Iran over the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, at the hands of the government. The demonstrations have since intensified, as has the government’s response, with thousands arrested and a ... Show More
34m 35s
Jan 2023
Why were journalists in Juba arrested over a social media video?
After a video of the president of South Sudan wetting himself at an official function was shared widely on social media, six journalists were arrested. The incident occurred in December as Salva Kiir stood for the national anthem - but the journalists were taken for questioning o ... Show More
12m 30s