Sudan's RSF says arrests fighters accused of abuses in El-Fasher

PORT SUDAN - Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said they had arrested several of their fighters accused of committing abuses during the capture of the city of El-Fasher, including a man identified by AFP in multiple execution videos.

The RSF, at war with the army since April 2023, seized El-Fasher -- the army's last stronghold in western Darfur -- on Sunday, after an 18-month siege.

In a statement late Thursday, the RSF said it had detained several fighters accused of "violations that occurred during the liberation" of El-Fasher, including one known as Abu Lulu who appeared in multiple videos on his TikTok committing summary executions.

In one clip verified by AFP, he is seen shooting unarmed men at close range. Another shows him standing among armed men near dozens of bodies and burnt vehicles.

The RSF released a video appearing to show Abu Lulu behind bars in what they claimed to be a North Darfur prison. It said "legal committees" had begun investigations "in preparation for bringing them (the fighters) to justice".

The group also affirmedits adherence to "the law, rules of conduct and military discipline during wartime".

El-Fasher has been cut off from all communications since its fall, but survivors who reached the nearby town of Tawila told AFP of mass killings, children shot before their parents and civilians beaten and robbed as they fled.

Since Sunday, videos circulating online have showed men in RSF uniforms carrying out summary executions around the city.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the Security Council on Thursday there were "credible reports of widespread executions" after the RSF entered El-Fasher.

Fletcher said the RSF claimed to be investigating, but questioned its commitment amidst "appalling news" from North Darfur.

The RSF -- descended from the Janjaweed militias accused of atrocities in Darfur two decades ago -- and the army both face accusations of committing war crimes.