Military plane crashes in El Obeid

A  military plane of the Sudanese armed forces crashed at the airport of El Obeid in North Kordofan on Wednesday afternoon, 19 December, leaving the pilot dead. A statement from the Sudanese army claims that the plane had just returned from a ‘combat mission’, without revealing any details about the mission or its location. “The mission was in the framework of military action carried out by the armed forces, and after completing the mission the plane crashed at the airport of El Obeid because of a technical issue”, the statement said. It was added that the plane crashed during landing due to a ‘malfunctioning procedure’. The crash resulted in the death of the pilot, first Lt. Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Ahmed, “who knew his duties and carried out his responsibilities bravely”, the statement added.Moreover, fire erupted in the field where the plane went down, causing panic among residents of nearby neighbourhoods.’Plane shot down’ The Sudan People’s Liberation Army – North announced taking down an Antonov plane of the Sudan Air Forces on Wednesday in South Kordofan. Arnu Ngutulu Lodi, spokesman for the SPLA-N, declared that the plane was shot down when flying over areas allegedly under their control. Lodi revealed that SPLA-N troops integrated in the SRF took down the Antonov plane that crashed in El Obeid. The spokesman told Radio Dabanga that two government planes, an Antonov and an MiG, were shot at by the SRF troops and stated that “SRF is capable of taking down any government plane flying over areas under our control in Kordofan”.On 30 December 2011, a military helicopter crashed in El Obeid, leaving 7 soldiers dead.File photo: Antonov shot down by rebels