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2024 New Way Cargo Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 shootdown

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2024 New Way Cargo Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 shootdown
EX-76011, the Ilyushin Il-76T involved in the accident, pictured under a previous registration
Shootdown
Date21 October 2024 (2024-10-21)
SummaryShootdown
SiteAl Mahla, Darfur, Sudan
Aircraft
Aircraft typeIlyushin Il-76T
OperatorNew Way Cargo Airlines
RegistrationUnclear, likely either EX-76011 or ST-JAN
Flight originRas Al Khaimah International Airport, Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
DestinationAmdjarass, Chad
Occupants5
Crew5
Fatalities5
Survivors0

On 21 October 2024, a cargo Ilyushin Il-76 that had previously been operated by New Way Cargo Airlines was shot down over the Darfur region of western Sudan by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during the Sudanese civil war. All five people aboard were killed. The ownership of the aircraft remains unclear. The aircraft is believed to have been operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on a mission to deliver equipment and medicine to the army-held city of Al-Fashir. Despite this, initial reporting stated that the aircraft involved was an Ilyushin Il-76 registered as EX-76011 with serial number 0013428831 operated by New Way Cargo Airlines on behalf of the United Arab Emirates supplying the RSF.[1] However, the aircraft was reportedly exported to Sudan on 12 January 2024 where it was re-registered ST-JAN; the initial report that it was EX-76011 was on account of a safety card bearing this registration being found in the wreckage.

Background

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Political situation

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The territorial situation in Sudan in 2024

Since 15 April 2023, a civil war broke out in Sudan between the Government of Sudan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).[2] At the time of the accident, the RSF controlled most of Darfur and Gezira State, along with parts of central Sudan, and an area near the border with Libya. The United Arab Emirates financially and militarily supports the RSF in the war, and although officially the UAE airlift operation in Chad is for delivering humanitarian aid many sources, including UN experts, say that the UAE used those planes to deliver military supplies to the RSF.[3][4]

Aircraft and crew

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The aircraft involved was an Ilyushin Il-76 registered as EX-76011 with serial number 0013428831. It was manufactured in 1981 and was previously operated by New Way Cargo Airlines. There were five crew members on board, two Russians and three Sudanese, according to RT, the pilot was Anton Selivanets.[5] On the crash site were also found document belonging to Viktor Granov, a Russian pilot who owned the airlines Aircargo Services International and Grand Propeller.[4] Although documents from Manas International Airport in Kyrgyzstan were found on the accident site, it appears that no employees of the airport were on the aircraft.[6] A spokesperson for New Way Cargo, which is also based in Kyrgyzstan, said that its lease on the aircraft had expired at the end of 2023.[7]

Incident

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The aircraft was reportedly hit by missiles fired by the RSF, while it was flying over Darfur. Videos of the crash show the plane on fire diving towards the ground before crashing. The RSF claimed to have recovered the plane's black boxes and some documents it was carrying.[8][9] A safety pamphlet and a Russian passport were found on the crash site. The RSF troops in Darfur might have been unaware of the flights that were flying over the region at the time, instead they were expecting attacks from the Sudanese Air Force.[10]

Aftermath

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The United Arab Emirates initially denied its involvement with the crashed plane despite the evidence.[11] Initially, RSF commander Ali Rizqallah claimed that they had just shot down an Antonov of the Egyptian Air Force that was carrying weapons or bombing Darfur. The Russian embassy in Sudan stated that they were in contact with the Sudanese Government after the accident, since the plane was carrying two Russian nationals.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Sudanese paramilitary mistakenly shoot down UAE cargo plane". Sudan War Monitor. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  2. ^ "100 days of conflict in Sudan: A timeline". Al Jazeera. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Sudanese paramilitary mistakenly shoot down UAE cargo plane". Sudan War Monitor. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Russia May be Involved in Violating Arms Embargo in Darfur". Robert Lansing Institute. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Sudan Tribune: Five people killed in plane crash in Sudan, including two Russians". African Initiative. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  6. ^ Petchenko, Ilya (22 October 2024). "Manas Airport official ID found in plane downed in Sudan: Details". 24.kg. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  7. ^ Gambrell, Jon (22 October 2024). "Mystery of downed airplane in Sudan deepens as Kyrgyzstan insists aircraft had been de-registered". Associated Press. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Cargo plane crash in Sudan's North Darfur kills five, including two Russians". Sudan Tribune. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Sudan Tribune: Five people killed in plane crash in Sudan, including two Russians". African Initiative. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  10. ^ Hradecky, Simon (23 October 2024) [21 October 2024]. "Crash: unknown IL76 at Malha on Oct 21st 2024, aircraft shot down". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  11. ^ Gambrell, Jon (21 October 2024). "Russia investigates the claimed shoot-down of a cargo jet in Sudan's Darfur region". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Cargo plane crash in Sudan's North Darfur kills five, including two Russians". Sudan Tribune. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
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