UK sanctions RSF commander linked by BBC Verify to Sudan massacre

A Sudanese paramilitary commander whose role in the Al-Fasher massacre was revealed by BBC Verify has been sanctioned by the UK government.

Brigadier General Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, also known as Abu Lulu, shot dead at least 10 unarmed captives after his Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the city in late October.

Thousands of people are believed to have been killed by the RSF after the army withdrew from al-Fasher. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said that the atrocities in Sudan were “a wound on the conscience of the world” and “cannot and will not go unpunished”.

Britain also sanctioned three other RSF commanders, including deputy chief Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo.

Dagalo, who was also subject to EU sanctions in November, was shown in verified footage touring a military base in the city in the hours after al-Fasher fell. He is the brother of RSF chief Mohamed “Hemedti” Dagalo.

Sudan’s civil war, which began after the collapse of the fragile ruling coalition of the RSF and the military, has raged for more than two years, killing hundreds of thousands of people and displacing millions more.

Al-Fasher was the army’s last major stronghold in Darfur, the traditional stronghold of RSF paramilitary forces.

One BBC Verify investigation reveals brutal tactics This method, used by the RSF during the long siege, involved detaining and torturing people trying to smuggle supplies into the city and building a massive sand barrier around it to prevent civilians and army troops from escaping.

In its statement announcing the sanctions, the British Foreign Office said it believed Abu Lulu was “responsible for violence against individuals based on ethnicity and religion and the deliberate targeting of civilians.”

Footage approved by BBC Verify was shown in October Abu Lulu executes several unarmed captives In a sandy, dusty area northwest of the city with an AK-style rifle. RSF troops who witnessed the events were later seen celebrating their commander’s actions.

UK authorities accused Abu Lulu, Dagalo, Gedo Hamdan Ahmed and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed of committing “heinous” acts of violence, including mass murders, systematic sexual violence and deliberate attacks on civilians. The men have been banned from traveling and any assets they hold will be frozen.

“While today’s sanctions against RSF commanders directly target those with blood on their hands, our enhanced assistance package will provide life-saving support to those suffering,” Cooper said.

Citing satellite images previously released by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Laboratory, the foreign office said piles of bodies and mass graves could be seen in al-Fasher after the massacre.

Cooper also pledged an additional £21 million to provide food, shelter and healthcare to civilians affected by conflict in remote areas.

In the days following the Al-Fasher massacre, RSF leader General Mohamed “Hemedti” Dagalo He admitted that his soldiers committed “violations” and said the incidents would be investigated.

Abu Lulu was among those arrested. In a carefully choreographed and edited video posted on RSF’s official Telegram account, he is shown being taken to a cell in a prison geolocated by BBC Verify on the outskirts of al-Fasher.

The commander, who previously featured heavily in propaganda videos posted online, has not been seen since his arrest. A TikTok account documenting his activities was removed by the company in October after BBC Verify approached the tech giant for comment.

Britain’s move comes just two days after the United States announced its own sanctions against a network of companies and individuals it accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers and training individuals to fight in Sudan’s civil war.

The US Treasury Department said hundreds of Colombian mercenaries have traveled to Sudan since 2024, including to serve as infantrymen and drone pilots for the RSF.

Last month, US President Donald Trump vowed to “get to work on Sudan” along with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and posted on social media that “tremendous atrocities” were taking place.