By HAN News Desk
EL-FASHER — The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary faction fighting in Sudan’s civil war, announced that it has arrested one of its own fighters accused of participating in massacres against civilians in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
In a statement released late Wednesday, the RSF identified the man as Fateh Abdalla Idris, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Lulu. The arrest reportedly followed the circulation of graphic videos on social media allegedly showing him taking part in killings and assaults during recent RSF offensives in the region.
According to the RSF statement, Idris was “immediately detained pending investigation” and will face “military justice” for violations of the group’s code of conduct. However, rights organizations and observers have expressed deep skepticism, describing the move as a public relations effort to deflect mounting international outrage over atrocities committed in Darfur.
The United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International have all accused the RSF of systematic massacres, ethnic cleansing, and sexual violence targeting non-Arab communities, particularly the Masalit ethnic group in West Darfur. Thousands have reportedly been killed, and over 9 million people displaced since the RSF’s war with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) began in April 2023.
“The RSF has a long history of promising accountability while continuing its brutal campaign against civilians,” said a regional human rights researcher based in Nairobi. “Without independent verification, this arrest means very little.”
RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, has tried to portray himself as a reformer open to peace negotiations. However, international monitors say RSF fighters continue to loot, burn villages, and commit atrocities in areas under their control.
The situation in El-Fasher remains dire, with widespread shortages of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid. The United States and the European Union have both warned that Darfur is at risk of another genocide if the warring parties do not agree to a ceasefire.
