At a glance
- A Sudanese general, Abu Lulu, has been arrested after filming himself killing civilians during the country’s ongoing civil war
- He is accused of leading brutal attacks across Sudan and boasting online about murdering thousands
- His arrest comes as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) try to distance themselves from war crimes
This is the moment a Sudanese military commander was arrested after for murdering civilians and sharing the footage on social media, as the bloody and brutal civil war continues to rage in the country.
Abu Lulu was arrested by the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on October 30 in el-Fasher, Sudan’s western Darfur region, as part of the ongoing conflict between the RSF and the SAF.
As of May this year, more than 40,000 people have been killed and over 12 million people have been forcibly displaced since the conflict began more than two years ago, according to the World Health Organization.
Despite purporting to represent the RSF, the photo shows him being led away with handcuffs after being arrested. The arrest is said to be part of the RSF’s efforts to “clean up” its image, and distance itself from the atrocities committed in Darfur.
Abu Lulu’s horrific crimes
The soldier’s face - now made public since the RSF released his photo - has long been synonymous with death and destruction in Sudan. Lulu, also known as Brigadier General al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, is known locally for his cruelty, and frequently filming his horrific acts.
Footage showed him killing two prisoners of war in al-Jaili, north of Khartoum.
The soldier allegedly participated in the murder of 31 civilians in the Al-Salha neighbourhood of Omdurman.
He is said to have killed more than 16 kidnapped soldiers in the Al-Khuwair area of West Kordofan, crimes which witnesses allege were motivated by racial hatred.
He was recorded confronted the unarmed owner of a restaurant and demanding to know his tribe. Upon hearing he was from the non-Arab Berti tribe, Lulu ignored his victim’s desperate cries for mercy and shot him dead.
More videos appeared online on October 27 2025, depicting Lulu’s troops murdering dozens of civilians in el-Fasher, in a massacre sparking widespread horror online.
Lulu even takes to social media to boast about his violence. In one TikTok live broadcast, the killer gloated that he had murdered around “2,000 people” and has “lost count.”
Khalid, a survivor of the el-Fasher massacre, told Al Jazeera: “He murdered people in front of cameras.
“He wanted fame,” he said.
A “narcissistic psychopath”
His acts have been described as the characteristics of a “narcissistic psychopath” by criminal psychologist Dr David Holmes, according to Al Jazeera.
Dr Holmes explained: “He is proactive in killing unarmed victims”
The psychologist explained that Lulu’s method of killing, which typically involved repeated, random shooting, rather than the use of a singular bullet, indicates a “callous use of weapons to maim and kill.”
Upon assessing the video footage, Dr Holmes remarked that the fighter appeared to “enjoy indiscriminate shooting”.
Additionally, Dr Holmes identified that the killer’s body language on camera indicates that he views himself as somewhat of a local celebrity.
He explained: “He is pleased with his position and poses as if he thinks of himself as some kind of celebrity for the public.”
🚨 🇸🇩 BREAKING: Abu Lulu RSF The Criminal Has Been Arrested:
— Aditya Juans Mandagie (@AdityaMandagie) October 30, 2025
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia arrested Abu Lulu and others involved in violations against citizens in El Fasher.
This is to appease public opinion following the massacres that occurred and to hold those… pic.twitter.com/s29zpb17YI
The response of the RSF
According to the RSF, Lulu does not represent their force and is instead part of a “coalition force” allied with it since the beginning of the war.
A senior RSF military source said: “He does not belong to the RSF”
They claimed: “He leads a group fighting alongside us, but he will be held accountable for his actions. He does not represent the RSF.”
This position was echoed by the RSF’s official spokesperson, al-Fateh al-Qurashi. The leader of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, acknowledged the violence carried out by his forces over recent weeks and promised that “there will be accountability”.
