Arrest of ‘Abu Lulu’ does little to distance RSF from Sudan massacre

The look successful the photograph has go well-known successful Sudan. The fighter, with his medium-length hairsbreadth framing a bearded face, has appeared successful galore videos. Sometimes helium smiles, adjacent arsenic helium kills unarmed people.

This is Abu Lulu. But the photograph of him released past Thursday by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the radical helium purported to represent, showed him with handcuffs connected aft being arrested.

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The apprehension is portion of RSF’s efforts to region itself from atrocities committed successful the Darfur metropolis of el-Fasher, which its forces took power of connected October 26 aft 18 months of siege. At slightest 1,500 civilians person been killed since the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) fled the town, and the RSF rampaged through, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.

Abu Lulu, besides known arsenic Brigadier General al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, has travel to symbolise Sudan’s descent into cruelty since the war betwixt RSF and the SAF began successful April 2023.

Over the past year, Abu Lulu has been linked to a bid of killings crossed Sudan. His alleged crimes, witnesses say, were not random acts of unit but deliberate performances meant to intimidate, inflame taste tensions, and task a grotesque representation of power.

In al-Jaili, northbound of Khartoum, footage appeared of him sidesplitting 2 prisoners of war. In Omdurman’s city’s Al-Salha neighbourhood, helium is reported to person participated successful the sidesplitting of 31 civilians. In West Kordofan state’s Al-Khuwair locality, helium is reported to person executed much than 16 captured soldiers, with witnesses alleging his motives were driven by radical hatred.

And successful el-Fasher, helium was filmed confronting an unarmed edifice owner, asking for his tribe, and shooting him dormant aft the antheral replied that helium was from the non-Arab Berti tribe. The victim’s hopeless pleas for mercy were ignored.

On October 27, 2025, much footage circulated online, appearing to amusement Abu Lulu’s forces sidesplitting dozens of civilians successful el-Fasher. The massacre, filmed and shared connected societal media, led to wide outrage, and the antheral down it seemed to relish the attention.

A ‘psychopathic’ mindset

Dr David Holmes, a transgression scientist who reviewed the footage for Al Jazeera, described Abu Lulu arsenic “a narcissistic psychopath”, whose property starkly differentiates him from his accomplices. “He is proactive successful sidesplitting unarmed victims,” Holmes said.

Holmes noted that Abu Lulu’s method of sidesplitting often progressive repeated, random shooting alternatively than the usage of a azygous bullet. “[There is a] callous usage of weapons to maim and termination with nary effort to execute [using a] azygous slug to [the] head,” Holmes said of the videos Abu Lulu appeared in, adding that the combatant appeared to “enjoy indiscriminate shooting”.

Holmes added that Abu Lulu’s demeanor connected camera suggests that helium views himself arsenic a benignant of celebrity. “He is pleased with his presumption and poses arsenic if helium thinks of himself arsenic immoderate benignant of personage for the public,” Holmes said.

Indeed, Abu Lulu has often broadcast his actions online. In 1 unrecorded TikTok session, helium boasted astir sidesplitting “2,000 people” and admitted helium had “lost count”. The league attracted some applause and alarm among RSF-affiliated users, immoderate praising him arsenic a “hero” and others urging him to halt filming.

Denial and disavowal

Following the uproar, aggregate sources wrong the RSF claimed that Abu Lulu was not formally portion of the paramilitary group, but alternatively led a “coalition force” allied with it since the war’s outset.

“He does not beryllium to the RSF,” 1 elder RSF subject source, who did not privation to beryllium named, told Al Jazeera. “He leads a radical warring alongside us, but helium volition beryllium held accountable for his actions. He does not correspond the RSF.”

The RSF’s authoritative spokesperson, al-Fateh al-Qurashi, aboriginal echoed the aforesaid line, denying that Abu Lulu was portion of their bid structure. RSF person Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, wide known arsenic Hemedti, acknowledged the crimes committed by his troops successful caller weeks and announced the enactment of an probe committee, promising that “there volition beryllium accountability”.

But scepticism runs deep, adjacent aft Abu Lulu’s arrest. Rights organisations and analysts accidental the RSF’s repeated signifier of distancing itself from tract commanders implicated successful atrocities has go a acquainted tactic, 1 that allows the unit to sphere its representation portion maintaining operational ties to section militias.

Roots of a paramilitary empire

The RSF traces its origins to the government-backed/linked militia known arsenic the Janjaweed, Arab tribal fighters mobilised by the Sudanese authorities during the Darfur war successful the aboriginal 2000s, and accused of wide massacres, rape and taste cleansing.

In 2013, then-President Omar al-Bashir formally restructured the militia nether the RSF banner, appointing Hemedti arsenic its commander. Though nominally portion of the Sudanese subject structure, the RSF developed into an autonomous powerfulness bloc, amassing immense economical resources from golden mining, broader power and mercenary contracts abroad.

Sudan’s civilian warfare erupted aft the RSF refused to beryllium integrated into the SAF wrong the timeline the second wanted. The struggle allowed the paramilitary unit to leverage its heavy tract networks and municipality warfare acquisition to prehend ample parts of Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan states.

The aforesaid tactics utilized successful Darfur – targeting civilians based connected ethnicity and perceived loyalties – resurfaced crossed the country, leaving thousands dormant and millions displaced.

Calls for justice

It is wrong that milieu that Abu Lulu has gained notoriety.

But arsenic footage from el-Fasher’s massacre dispersed globally, calls grew for the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to analyse Abu Lulu’s crimes for violations of planetary humanitarian law.

Human rights lawyers reason that his documented killings represent wide grounds of warfare crimes.

For survivors and families of victims, however, justness feels distant.

“He murdered radical successful beforehand of cameras,” said Khalid, a subsister of the el-Fasher massacre, who did not privation to springiness his afloat name. “He wanted fame.”

The nationalist actions of Abu Lulu, coupled with the wide disposable footage of the killings committed successful el-Fasher, person further damaged the credibility of the RSF, which has successful caller months attempted to contiguous itself arsenic a respectable force. In July, the radical announced the enactment of a parallel authorities to administer the areas of Sudan nether its control, with a statesmanlike assembly chaired by Hemedti.

But specified efforts person fallen by the wayside erstwhile compared with the el-Fasher killings and the actions of fighters similar Abu Lulu.

Whether acting independently oregon nether RSF coordination, Abu Lulu has besides go a awesome of Sudan’s brutal unraveling.

As Sudan’s warfare continues, his representation – grinning earlier the camera, firearm successful manus – stands arsenic a haunting reminder of the struggles the state faces.