A Sudanese paramilitary commander who was arrested late last year following global outrage over videos of him executing unarmed people in al-Fashir has been released from prison and returned to active duty on the battlefield, nine sources told Reuters.
Two of the sources – a Sudanese intelligence official and a commander with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces – said they personally saw RSF Brigadier General al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, known as Abu Lulu, on the battlefield in Kordofan in March. RSF officers had pleaded for Abu Lulu to be returned to the field to boost the morale of forces engulfed in heavy fighting there, a Chadian military officer told Reuters.
In total, Reuters spoke with 13 sources who said they knew of Abu Lulu’s release. They include three RSF commanders, an RSF officer, a relative of Abu Lulu, a Chadian military officer close to RSF command and seven other sources with contacts in RSF leadership or access to intelligence on RSF field operations.
The RSF-led coalition government, in response to questions from Reuters, issued a statement on Monday denying the group had released Abu Lulu. A special court will try him and others accused of violations during the al-Fashir offensive, according to the statement from Ahmed Tugud Lisan, spokesman for the RSF-led Tasis government.
“The talk about Abu Lulu being released is untrue, malicious, and completely false,” the statement said. “Abu Lulu and the others accused of violations during the liberation of al-Fashir have been in detention since their arrest and have never left prison.”
Reuters was unable to reach Abu Lulu.
The RSF imprisoned Abu Lulu in late October 2025, a few days after its bloody takeover of al-Fashir, a large city in North Darfur. Multiple videos had surfaced of him executing unarmed people during the offensive. His actions earned him the nickname “the butcher of al-Fashir,” a moniker noted by the U.N. Security Council when sanctioning him on February 24 for human rights abuses.
The three-year civil war between the Sudanese army and the RSF is a brutal power struggle to control the country and its financial resources. It has created what aid groups say is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Earlier this year, an independent U.N. probe found that the mass killings in al-Fashir bear the hallmarks of genocide. A separate U.N. probe found more than 6,000 people were killed by RSF fighters from October 25 to 27.
Online videos verified by Reuters show Abu Lulu near a trench outside al-Fashir on October 27, after the RSF seized the city. Social media obtained by REUTERS
Four videos verified by Reuters show Abu Lulu shooting at least 15 unarmed captives in al-Fashir on October 27, after the RSF seized the city. All were wearing civilian clothing. It is considered a war crime under international law to kill anyone, even a former fighter, who is unarmed and not posing a threat.
After international outcry by U.N. leaders, U.S. politicians and others, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, publicly acknowledged violations by his fighters in al-Fashir and said an accountability committee would be set up to investigate any abuses. On October 30, the RSF released a video of Abu Lulu being driven to Shala prison, in southwestern al-Fashir. In the video, a handcuffed Abu Lulu is escorted from a vehicle flanked by armed men and placed behind bars. An unidentified RSF spokesperson standing in front of the prison says Abu Lulu “will be presented to a just trial in accordance with the law.”
