The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have mistakenly shot down a United Arab Emirates-operated Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane in Darfur, believing it to belong to the Sudanese army. The plane, registered as EX-76011 and operated by New Way Cargo Airline, was reportedly delivering weapons to the RSF when it was downed. The RSF, initially claiming to have shot down a “foreign warplane” supporting the Sudanese military, later discovered that the aircraft was in fact associated with efforts by the UAE to supply arms to the RSF—a claim denied by Emirati officials.
The RSF stated that the incident occurred in the Malha region of North Darfur, near the border with Chad, at around 4:00 a.m. Mobile phone footage from the crash site showed RSF fighters inspecting the wreckage and displaying identity documents recovered from the scene, including a Russian passport and documents linking the aircraft to a UAE-based company. These materials further fueled suspicions that the plane was part of a broader UAE operation to arm the RSF. According to reports, the airline involved, New Way Cargo, has been linked to facilitating arms transfers to the RSF through flights to Amdjarass, Chad—a claim the UAE has denied, insisting the flights were meant to support a local hospital.
The RSF’s statement following the shootdown claimed the aircraft had been used to drop “barrel bombs” on civilians, although no evidence was provided to support this.
The downed plane was operated by a Kyrgyzstan-based airline, but civil aviation authorities in Kyrgyzstan have not commented on the situation. Russian diplomats in Khartoum have confirmed they are investigating whether any Russians were on board, following reports suggesting that foreign nationals were involved in the crash.
This incident has raised questions about the UAE’s involvement in Sudan’s ongoing conflict. The RSF and the Sudanese army have been locked in a brutal war since April 2023, with both sides accused of atrocities.
A recent report by the U.S.-funded Conflict Observatory linked the UAE to arms deliveries to the RSF, including the use of Amdjarass airport in Chad as a waypoint for these transfers. The UAE has also faced accusations from United Nations experts that its military support for the RSF is “credible,” though Emirati officials continue to deny these allegations.
The broader conflict in Sudan has claimed over 24,000 lives since its outbreak, with fighting concentrated around the capital, Khartoum, and in Darfur.
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