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We were hoping that the ceasefire in Gaza would be consolidated so that the world would have the opportunity to examine the genocidal war committed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. We had hoped that some segment of the Israeli public would realize the horrors committed by the army in the enclave and that the world would watch as the piles of corpses were retrieved from under the rubble. We were hoping that the world would categorically conclude that the only way to end this long conflict lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The world, however, has grown preoccupied in recent weeks with another horrific tragedy unfolding in yet another Arab country, specifically Sudan. In a verified video, we see a broken and terrified man who begs his butcher to spare his life. He wants nothing more than to survive as the arrogant, spiteful killer stands nearby. The man’s only crime is being of African descent. No one comes to save him. The ruler in that well-known part of the country is known for his ruthlessness. He is the judge, justice, fate and destiny. He is Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, also known as Abu Lulu. He does not bat an eye at his new nickname: “The Butcher of El-Fasher.”

Abu Lulu is a totally dedicated and serious man. He does not veer off his agenda. He views killing as a noble profession and holy duty. He once boasted of killing 900 people, saying he is aiming for 1,000. Some say that his accomplishments have exceeded his expectations. The fall of El-Fasher into the hands of the Rapid Support Forces has allowed him to seize the opportunity and increase the number of victims under his belt. Abu Lulu is a man who hates to discriminate; he kills men, women and even children so that he does not have to kill them later.

Abu Lulu is blunt. He says that anyone who does not share his tribal and ethnic lines is an enemy who must be eliminated. 

Ghassan Charbel

Abu Lulu is blunt and clear. He says that anyone who does not share his tribal and ethnic lines is an enemy who must be eliminated. He loves purity and any difference is seen as a threat. He is not moved by the elderly, the tears of women or the innocence of children. He does not believe in the right of people to come from different backgrounds or ethnicities and to have different traditions.

Moreover, Abu Lulu is not the product of a dark past but the son of the age of technology and scientific development, as evidenced by his documenting of his atrocities on a smartphone. He offers his victims the opportunity to appear on TikTok so that they can serve as a lesson to others.

It is not enough for the Rapid Support Forces to declare Abu Lulu’s arrest and imprisonment. It is not enough for him to wash his hands clean of his crimes. The phenomenon of the Butcher of El-Fasher is very dangerous in a country with some 500 ethnic groups. Abu Lulu is a product of the unrestrained deluge of hatred that goes unpunished. He is a result of the absence of the state, which has been replaced by armed factions, alternate media and false claims and narratives. Such a climate is fertile ground for the emergence of ethnic killings.

There can be no peace, security or stability without recognizing the other and their right to be different. This can only be achieved in a state of law and national institutions. No group has the right to eliminate another over the claim of achieving ethnic purity. Deeming the other as an enemy because he does not share the same views is a recipe for endless civil wars. The world should have learned lessons from the genocide in Rwanda and Sudan should have learned from the wars in Darfur and the “accomplishments” of the Janjaweed.

Social media today can play a very dangerous game if it is abused. It gives the killer an opportunity to become a star within minutes. Videos about murder, dragging someone to death, arson and rape garner a lot of views. Who knows, perhaps the small killers may feel jealous of the “stardom” of the big butchers, so they redouble their efforts to rack up their number of victims.

Abu Lulu is not the only major killer out there. Iraq had a few Abu Lulus of its own under Saddam Hussein and even after he was toppled. The terms of Hafez and Bashar Assad witnessed several Abu Lulus who claimed record numbers of assassinations, plus torture and mass graves, leading up to the human “crushing machine” in Sednaya prison. The wars in Lebanon also produced the likes of Abu Azrael and Abu Al-Jamajem.

There can be no peace, security or stability without recognizing the other and their right to be different. 

Ghassan Charbel

We clearly need a cultural revolution above all else. One that focuses on the individual, his dignity and rights under the rule of law and on coexistence under the right to be different, which should be seen as a source of wealth, not a cause for conflict. There can be no coexisting in our societies or with the world if we continue to remain prisoners of seeing the world through a single lens and in one uniform color.

Abu Lulu’s case reminded me of what Nuri Al-Mismari, the chief of protocol for former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, once told me. He said Qaddafi reviled Africans even after he came up with his farcical title “King of Kings of Africa.” He recalled the terrible racist terms Qaddafi would use to refer to African leaders visiting him. “He would tell me, ‘Bring in the abed (slave)’,” meaning the African president he was scheduled to meet, revealed Al-Mismari.

A real state based on rights and laws needs to be established in Sudan and elsewhere. This is the only way to prevent the likes of Abu Lulu from emerging. The problem does not lie in the race to claim gold mines in Sudan. The problem is that racist and spiteful mindsets have taken root.

• Ghassan Charbel is editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. X: @GhasanCharbel
• This article first appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat.