Sudan‘s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed to have shot down a cargo plane in Darfur on Oct. 21, with speculation that Russian nationals may have been on board.The aircraft, identified as an Ilyushin Il-76 from Kyrgyzstan, had documents connecting it to a UAE-based company.The RSF released mobile phone footage showing identity documents recovered from the crash site, including a Russian passport.Additionally, the RSF stated that “foreign mercenaries” were killed in the operation, further implying the potential presence of Russian citizens.This connection raises concerns about the involvement of Russian mercenaries or private contractors in Sudan’s ongoing conflict, which has seen various international actors entangled.Russia maintains a strong presence in African countries like Sudan through Wagner and other entities, propping up authoritarian governments, fueling destabilization, and extracting resources to fund its war against Ukraine.Claims have previously appeared in other media publications that Ukrainian special forces took part in operations in Sudan and are responsible for strikes against Wagner-backed militants.According to the WSJ, Sudan’s de facto ruler, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, appealed to Ukraine for assistance in the summer of 2023 while besieged by rebel forces.Kyiv responded positively in order to curb Russia’s influence abroad, but also because “Burhan had been quietly supplying Kyiv with weapons since shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022,” the outlet wrote.Russia’s Embassy in Khartoum issued a statement confirming that its diplomats were investigating the incident in Sudan’s Malha region, near the border with Chad.
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