SUDAN. Abu Lulu, a military commander whose social media fame stemmed from videos of him killing civilians, has been arrested by the very paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) he purportedly represented. His image, featuring medium-length hair and a beard, became a notorious symbol of Sudan’s descent into cruelty since the war began in 2023. He is accused of a series of deliberate, ethnically-driven atrocities across the country, often filmed for intimidation.

His arrest last Thursday, showing him in handcuffs, is widely seen as an RSF effort to distance itself from the recent massacre in el-Fasher, which his forces are accused of committing. Following widespread outrage over the online footage, senior RSF sources have disavowed him, claiming he led an allied “coalition force” and not an official RSF unit, promising accountability for his actions.

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