A Russian-crewed cargo plane, downed in Sudan’s North Darfur state, was reportedly supplying arms and provisions to the Sudanese army in the besieged city of al-Fashir, according to the opposing Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and documents recovered from the wreckage.
This incident sheds light on the opaque networks fueling Sudan’s prolonged 18-month conflict, which has displaced over 11 million people and attracted foreign involvement.
On Monday, the RSF shared footage of the burning wreckage, claiming they had shot down the Ilyushin transport plane, which had just delivered weapons and supplies.
The RSF also released images of the identity documents of two Russian crew members and three Sudanese army personnel believed to have been on board.
The RSF accused the plane of resupplying the Sudanese army, which has been struggling to fend off RSF attacks in al-Fashir. Notably, the aircraft had previously supplied both warring factions, including the RSF, according to flight tracking data and other sources.
The London-based Centre for Information Resilience confirmed the downed plane was a Russian-made Ilyushin IL-76 cargo aircraft, and its crash site was located approximately 80 miles north of al-Fashir.
Footage of the wreckage matched components of the IL-76.
While Sudan’s army did not comment, RSF officials pointed to the plane’s safety instructions, showing the registration number EX-76011.
This plane had been operated by New Way Cargo, a Kyrgyzstan-based airline, which was previously reported to have supplied the RSF with aid from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
However, since December 2023, the plane had shifted to support the Sudanese army, with flight data showing it operating from Port Sudan, an army stronghold.
The murky role of external actors, including Russia and the UAE, has deepened suspicions of foreign involvement in the Sudanese conflict.
The UAE has denied supporting the RSF, despite a UN panel finding credible evidence of military aid.
Among the Russian crew, one of the identified members, Viktor Granov, 67, has past links to arms trafficking and previously worked with notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Another crew member, Anton Selivanets, 33, had images of him posing with World Food Programme (WFP) aircraft on his social media. WFP has denied any affiliation with Selivanets.
The RSF also shared a video from a mobile phone recovered from the crash site. Reuters identified one of the men in the footage as Alexander Kabanov, a Russian veteran with ties to elite airborne troops, who had been active in various African countries.
Sudan’s ongoing war began in 2023 after a coup broke the fragile alliance between the army and RSF, who vied for power ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule.
Both sides have since garnered foreign support, with Russia emerging as a key player. Russia’s embassy in Sudan is investigating the crash, but the incident exposes the complexity of the arms and supply networks sustaining the brutal conflict.
This plane downing reveals a fragment of Sudan’s larger, intertwined conflict, where external players fuel violence, prolonging the humanitarian catastrophe. The international community continues to scrutinize foreign involvement, especially as Russia’s role in Africa deepens amid its broader geopolitical ambitions.
