Claims a cargo jet shot down in Sudan's Darfur region

Sudan's Rapid Support Forces claim to have shot down a foreign plane in the Darfur region. (AP PHOTO)

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces say they have shot down a cargo jet in the country’s far western reaches of Darfur, a claim that Russian diplomats say they are trying to investigate in the war zone.

Few details of the purported shoot-down were immediately available. Mobile phone footage showed what appeared to be a debris field with fighters showing off what appeared to be identity documents recovered from the crash. 

A message from Russia's Embassy in Khartoum confirmed its diplomats were investigating Monday's incident in Sudan's Malha region in northern Darfur near the border with Chad. The embassy's message said Russians may have been on board at the time.

Sudan Fighting
Sudan's army and the RSF paramilitary group have been at war for 18 months.

The paramilitary force, known as the RSF, has been at war with the Sudanese army since April 2023.

A request to the RSF for comment was not immediately returned. However, the paramilitary force claimed in a statement it shot down a “foreign warplane” that had been aiding the Sudanese military. It alleged without providing evidence that the aircraft had been dropping “barrel bombs” on civilians. 

“All foreign mercenaries aboard the aircraft were eliminated in the operation,” the statement said. 

Sudan's war has killed over 24,000 people so far, according to the group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, which has been monitoring the violence since the conflict's start. The Sudanese army has been pursuing an intensified offensive near Khartoum, while forces allied with it have been battling the RSF in Darfur.

Sudan has been unstable since a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. The short-lived transition to democracy was derailed when two generals, the army's chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo of the RSF, joined forces to lead a military coup in October 2021. They began battling each other in 2023. 

Al-Bashir faces charges at the International Criminal Court over carrying out a genocidal campaign in the early 2000s in Darfur with the Janjaweed, the precursor to the RSF. Rights groups and the United Nations say the RSF and allied Arab militias again are attacking ethnic African groups in the war. 

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store