Interesting details regarding the plane shot down in Darfur

Several reports have revealed that the cargo plane that crashed in (Al-Malha) area in North Darfur state – northwest Sudan, on Monday, belonged to the Sudanese Army, as three of its members were killed in the crash, contrary to what was previously circulated, while (TASS) Agency reported that the plane was owned by the Egyptian company (New Way Cargo Airlines).

The “Sudan Conflict Observatory” had reported that the cargo plane was part of an air bridge supported by the United Arab Emirates, aiming to support the Rapid Support Forces according to evidence derived from the plane wreckage, but new information denies those claims.

Pro-Army pages mourned three members of the Sudanese Air Force, stating that they “Were martyred in the plane accident while performing their duty in Darfur,” which was confirmed by the activist specializing in war news, Mohammed Khalifa, known as “Uncle to the impoverished” in a post on his Facebook page.

Khalifa stated that there were three Sudanese on board, namely Air Navigator Lt. Col. Abdul Moez Omar, Technical Assistant Sufyan Khalaf Allah, and Engineer Babiker Abdul Qader.

He confirmed that the plane belongs to the Sudanese Army, (Ilyushin), was piloted by pilots from Eastern Europe, and it took off from Port Sudan towards El-Fasher on an airdrop mission for the Sixth Infantry Division, carrying weapons, ammunition and medicine. He stated that the plane completed its airdrop mission successfully, but was shot down on its way back after being targeted.

The Rapid Support Forces announced that they targeted a plane piloted by foreigners and shot it down in (Al-Malha) area, stating that the plane dropped explosive barrels on innocent civilians. They published videos and photos of the wreckage of the plane after it was shot down.

Meanwhile, (Reuters) quoted the Russian Embassy in Sudan in regards to a statement about investigating reports concerning the possibility of a cargo plane with Russian crew members on board being shot down, explaining that it is coordinating with the Sudanese authorities to collect more information and find out the fate of the plane’s passengers.

Information about the crew of the ill-fated military plane was published, indicating that one of them was Russian from (Kyrgyzstan).

However, a statement from Manas Airport, according to (TASS) Agency, denied this information, sharing: “The documents of Manas International Airport ‘OJSC’, which were found during the plane crash in Sudan, belong to an employee of Airline Transport Incorporation ‘FZC’, Viktor Granov, a Russian citizen, who wasn’t an employee of Manas Airport itself.”

The press service added that Manas Airport issues passes to organizations cooperating with it under the terms of the agreement. Thus, specialists can carry out their work duties without hindrance due to free access to the airport.

According to Manas representatives, the downed plane belongs to the Egyptian company (New Way Cargo Airlines). The Airport’s press service confirmed that the Il-76 has nothing to do with Airline Transport Incorporation ‘FZC’ in Osh.

The Airport’s press service noted that (New Way Cargo Airlines) is registered in Kyrgyzstan, and its cargo operator certificate is valid until June 16th, 2025.