LONDON: Starlink’s chief Elon Musk has been urged not to shut down the satellite internet service in Sudan, as doing so could “collectively punish” millions of Sudanese.

In an appeal to the American billionaire, nearly 100 humanitarian, civil society, human rights organizations and members of the #KeepItOn coalition have highlighted the critical role Starlink plays as a lifeline for on-the-ground organizations operating in the war-torn African country. They warn that interrupting the service could have fatal consequences.

“Any shutdown of telecommunication services is a violation of human rights and may be considered to be a collective punishment that will not only isolate individuals from their support networks but also exacerbate the already dire economic situation facing millions,” said the coalition, which includes Save the Children, Islamic Relief Worldwide and Action Against Hunger, among others.

The statement added: “The potential shutdown of Starlink would have a disproportionate impact on civilians and the aid organisations who are trying to reach them.”

Sudan has been grappling with a widespread telecommunications blackout for several months, severely limiting emergency and humanitarian services and access to basic transactions such as cash transfers from abroad.

Starlink, which can operate across borders thanks to its satellite service, announced earlier this month that it would cease its services in Sudan by restricting roaming in jurisdictions where it is not licensed.

If confirmed, this decision risks provoking a permanent nationwide telecommunications shutdown, similar to the one in February 2024 that left almost 30 million Sudanese without access to the internet or telephone calls for more than a month.

The situation is further exacerbated by the damage and destruction of communication infrastructure, targeted by both the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military.

The coalition, which relies on expensive and scarce satellite internet in areas where formal telecommunications are not functioning, has also urged the warring factions to repair the infrastructure.

SpaceX’s Starlink has been under pressure to maintain its connection since conflict broke out in Sudan in April 2023.

In August, a hacking group called Anonymous Sudan took X offline in more than a dozen countries to pressure Elon Musk into formally opening Starlink in Sudan.

In recent months, the company has been at the center of a public debate over its role in connecting war-torn areas worldwide.

Earlier in May, Bloomberg reported that SpaceX was close to finalizing a deal with the Yemeni government to provide satellite internet to the country in what experts described as a “victory” over the Houthi rebels.

In September 2023, several media outlets reported that Elon Musk denied a Ukrainian request to extend Starlink’s coverage to Crimea during a surprise attack.

Although this was later clarified as an erroneous claim that Musk “turned off” Starlink coverage in Crimea, it raised concerns about the service’s role during conflicts.

TUNIS: A Tunisian court on Wednesday ordered two journalists to be held in remand until the completion of investigations into critical comments, a court spokesman said.

Broadcaster Borhen Bssais and political commentator Mourad Zeghidi were arrested Saturday under a decree criminalizing “spreading false information” among other charges, spokesman Mohamed Zitouna said.

Zeghidi is being investigated over social media statements last February and a post in support of Mohamed Boughalleb, another journalist and critic of President Kais Saied who has been detained separately.

Bssais was arrested on accusations of “having harmed President Kais Saied through radio broadcasts and statements” online between 2019 and 2022, according to his lawyer Nizar Ayed.

Their trial is set to begin on May 22, according to their lawyers.

Both media figures are prosecuted under a law ratified by Saied in September 2022.

The law punishes people with up to five years in prison for the use of social media to “produce, spread (or) disseminate ... false news” and “slander others, tarnish their reputation, financially or morally harm them.”

Journalists and opposition figures have said it has been used to stifle dissent.

Since the decree came into force, more than 60 journalists, lawyers and opposition figures have been prosecuted under it, according to the National Union of Tunisian Journalists.

The same night Bssais and Zeghidi were taken into police custody, masked police raided the Tunisian bar association and arrested lawyer Sonia Dahmani, also on the same law.

On Monday, another lawyer was forcibly arrested at the association’s headquarters.

The president of the bar, Hatem Meziou, on Tuesday called for an end to “the abuse of power” and “violence” targeting the lawyers.

The European Union also expressed concern over a string of arrests of civil society figures in Tunisia — the latest sign of a tightening clampdown on freedoms under Saied.

Nongovernmental organizations have decried a rollback of freedoms in Tunisia since Saied began ruling by decree after a sweeping power grab in 2021.