RSF claims to down Sudan Air Force plane in North Darfur

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed to have shot down a Sudanese Air Force (SAF) Antonov aircraft over North Darfur’s capital of El Fasher on Thursday. They claim the plane was downed during army airstrikes targeting more than ten RSF positions in and around the city. According to the RSF, all crew members were reportedly killed, with the RSF vowing to repel future aerial threats.

The SAF has not responded to the claim. Attempts by Radio Dabanga to contact the SAF spokesperson were unsuccessful.

Sources close to the SAF confirmed the deaths of the crew, naming Col Pilot Moataz Ibrahim, Capt Abdallah Kamal, Capt Saif Eldin Milah, technical officer Ahmed Mahmoud, radio operator Muhammad Abdullah, assistant radio operator Assem Muhammed Dein, and assistants Badawi Bilil and Yasser Fox.

The SAF’s Sixth Infantry Division in El Fasher confirmed five air raids had destroyed three tractor-trailers, five Land Cruisers, and a vehicle carrying weapons and supplies towards Mellit. Dozens of RSF fighters were reported killed or wounded.

The army warned civilians in North Darfur not to be misled by RSF videos on social media, saying they aimed to distract from recent RSF defeats in Khartoum and Jebel Aulia.

South Kordofan

In a statement on Monday, the RSF claimed control of the strategic Khor El Dalaib area in South Kordofan.

The RSF claimed it “seized seven fully equipped combat vehicles, destroyed six others, and captured various cannons and large quantities of ammunition.”

It also said its forces “eliminated 70 ISIS-affiliated fighters from the Islamic Movement’s army” and “pursued the remaining forces, driving the defeated formations out of the area.”

The RSF described the gain as key to its push towards Abu Kershola in northeast South Kordofan, to consolidate control in Kordofan’s axis.

Local sources reported that RSF fighters clashed with the SAF and pushed it back towards El Fayed Um Abdallah and Um Barambita.

Civilian deaths and displacement

The Sudanese Doctors Syndicate reported 12 civilian deaths during the RSF assault on Khor El Dalaib. The attack sparked mass displacement from the area.

In a separate statement yesterday, the syndicate expressed concern over the fate of five doctors detained by either SAF intelligence or the RSF since October.

Citing ongoing violations including arbitrary detention and abductions, the syndicate called on the World Health Organisation and the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene urgently.