Reuters: The downed Il-76 was supplying weapons to the Sudanese army
A Russian-manned and Kyrgyz-affiliated cargo plane shot down by the Rapid Action Forces in Sudan was supplying weapons to the country's army based in the besieged city of El Fasher. The plane reportedly stopped delivering weapons to the RSF a few months ago and switched to supplying the Sudanese army.
A Russian-manned cargo plane shot down in Sudan's North Darfur state was used to supply weapons to the country's army in the besieged city of El Fasher. This was reported by Reuters, citing sources in the Sudan Rapid Action Force (RSF) and documents found at the scene of the disaster .
According to Reuters, the story sheds light on the secret supply networks behind the 18-month-long war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which has killed more than 10,000 civilians and displaced more than 11 million people .
Flight tracking data and previously reported information on social media pages indicate that the aircraft stopped delivering weapons to the RSF several months ago and switched to supplying the Sudanese army.
At least one of the crew members was involved in the Russian arms trade, a Reuters investigation found .
An anonymous source told the agency that the downed Il-76 cargo plane was carrying weapons, ammunition and food to El Fasher. The Sudanese army and allied former rebel groups have been in the city for several months RSF is trying to repel attacks. According to the source , the plane was shot down shortly after dropping the next aid party.
The agency identified three possible crew members based on photos and videos from the crash site.
They are 67-year-old Viktor Granov (in 2005, Amnesty International said that this Russian businessman living in South Africa is related to Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout). Also 33-year-old Anton Selivane ts and 61-year-old Alexander Kabanov (former military serviceman).
Earlier in the North Darfur province, where fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary RSF (Rapid Action Force) continues . We reported that the Il-76 cargo plane belonging to the UAE and related to Kyrgyzstan was shot down.
After the Il-76 crash , it was reported that the plane belonged to the Manas airport in Bishkek and was registered in Kyrgyzstan. It was reported that it belonged to the Kyrgyz New Way Cargo Airlines. According to the journalists of "Nastoyashchego Vremeni" , the downed plane was removed from the company's register at the beginning of the year. New Way Cargo Airlines said it has no connection with the plane.
Related to the topic
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Sudan's ongoing civil war since April 2023, as well as cholera epidemics and major floods, have claimed a growing number of victims. More than 20,000 Muslims died in armed conflicts, 225 people died in floods, and 535 people died in cholera.
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In Sudan, the Rapid Support Force (RSF) reported that a plane used as a bomber by the Sudanese army was shot down in the Malha region of North Darfur. However, the wreckage belonged to an Il-76 aircraft, and one of the crew members had the credentials of Airline Transport Incorporation FZC, a company based in Kyrgyzstan, based in the UAE.
