By HAN News Desk
LONDON — The UK government has imposed sanctions on a senior commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over his alleged involvement in mass killings in the town of El Fasher, according to an official statement.
The sanctioned commander, General Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, also known as Abu Lulu, was reportedly filmed shooting at least ten unarmed detainees following the RSF’s capture of El Fasher in October last year. The footage, which circulated widely in the media, is said to show the general directly participating in the killings.
British authorities say the sanctions were imposed in response to credible evidence linking the RSF commander to serious human rights violations during the fighting in Darfur.
Thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed by RSF forces after Sudan’s army withdrew from El Fasher, a key city in North Darfur. Human rights groups have repeatedly accused the RSF of committing war crimes, including extrajudicial killings, ethnic violence, and forced displacement.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the situation in Sudan as a “stain on the conscience of the world”, saying those responsible for atrocities must be held accountable.
“The abuses we are witnessing in Sudan are unacceptable, and those behind them must face consequences,” she said.
The UK has now sanctioned three senior RSF commanders, including the group’s deputy leader Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, as part of efforts to pressure those responsible for ongoing violence in the country.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
