Sudan military plane crashes, all on board killed

Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane.

A military transport plane has crashed in war-torn Sudan, killing all crew members. The country's military sources confirmed on Tuesday (December 9) that the accident occurred while landing at the Osman Digna airbase in the eastern port city of Port Sudan.

Local military officials said the Russian-made Ilyushin Il-76 plane crashed due to a technical fault during landing. Although all the crew on board were confirmed to have been killed, the Sudanese government forces (SAF) have not yet officially announced how many crew members were on board. Earlier in May this year, several installations were damaged in a drone attack on the same airbase.

Immediately after the plane crash, news of the SAF's successive defeats began to come in various regions across the country. On Monday, the rebel RSF captured Sudan's largest Heglig oil field. The facility, located in West Kordofan province, processes between 80,000 and 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day, which is crucial to the economies of Sudan and South Sudan.

According to the Sudan Tribune, the army is retreating from Heglig under the pressure of the conflict. At the same time, military sources have reported that the SAF is also withdrawing from the Babnusa area. The loss of Heglig is a serious blow to the economy and the energy sector for government forces.

Ahmed Ibrahim, a former government adviser, told Al Jazeera that the RAF is deliberately carrying out attacks to push South Sudan towards war, although a fragile ceasefire is still in effect in the country.

The United States imposed sanctions on four Colombian citizens and four companies on the same day as the plane crash. They are accused of recruiting hundreds of former soldiers to fight for the RSF.

However, the sanctions list did not include the UAE-based Global Security Services Group, which the US-based research organization The Sentry identified in November as a supplier of Colombian mercenaries to RSF. However, the UAE has consistently denied the allegations.

Source: Al Jazeera