Sudan's RSF arrests fighters suspected of summary executions in El-Fasher

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces say they have arrested fighters accused of rights violations in the recently captured city of El-Fasher.

Video made available by the group on the Telegram messaging app showed a fighter identified as Abu Lulu being put behind bars in what the RSF claimed was a prison in North Darfur. Abu Lulu had been seen in TikTok videos apparently committing summary executions.

When the RSF took control of North Darfur’s beseiged capital on Sunday, eyewitnesses described a rampage, with fighters carrying out hundreds of ethnically targeted killings.

An unnamed RSF officer shown in the video said Abu Lulu was detained in accordance with the instructions of RSF Commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. He said the arrest was carried out in an atmosphere of discipline and professionalism, without any obstacles.

El-Fasher was under siege for more than 500 days as the RSF battled Sudanese armed forces for control of the army’s last stronghold in the region.

'Credible reports'

The United Nations' Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Thursday that there are “credible reports of widespread executions” as civilians attempted to escape El-Fasher.

“The Sudan crisis is, at its core, a failure of protection, and our responsibility to uphold international law,” Fletcher said. “Atrocities are committed with unashamed expectation of impunity…the world has failed an entire generation.”

The UN migration agency said more than 36,000 people have reportedly fled el-Fasher since Sunday, with people fleeing on foot in the middle of the night. Experts analysing satellite imagery say an earthen wall built by the RSF around the city is preventing residents from fleeing and has become a “kill box” where some appear to have been shot.

More than 40,000 people have been killed since fighting erupted between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces in April 2023. Some 14 million people have been displaced, creating what the UN has called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

The fall of the El-Fasher has raised fears that Africa’s third-largest country may split, with the RSF holding Darfur and the military holding the capital Khartoum and the north and east of the country.