Reuters published on 23 October 2024 an article titled "Exclusive: Plane Downed in Darfur with Suspected Russian Crew Was Supplying Army, Rivals Say" by Khalid Abdelaziz, Reade Levinson, and Filipp Lebedev.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shot down a Russian cargo plane outside El Fasher in Darfur that the RSF claims was transporting supplies to the besieged Sudan Armed Forces. Russian nationals crewed the plane.
Comment: Russia's role in Sudan's civil war has been murky for more than a year. Russia's Wagner Group has a long history of collaborating with the RSF in Darfur but more recently Moscow has been linked to support for the Sudan Armed Forces. It is not clear if the downed plane is tied to the Russian government or is a private mercenary action.