UN Report Links Boeing Aircraft Network to Sudan Paramilitary Weapons Supply

Secret Logistics Network Exposed in Western Sudan

Leaked findings from a United Nations Panel of Experts report, scheduled for official release in September, detail how a fleet of Boeing 727 aircraft ferried military hardware and foreign fighters to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF, a paramilitary group currently embroiled in a civil war against the Sudanese army, stands accused by international observers of committing genocide in the Darfur region. According to the UN draft, these aircraft moved drones, weapons, and mercenaries into Nyala, a critical RSF logistical center.

The investigative trail follows three aging Boeings previously identified in a July 15 Reuters report. Those aircraft are linked to Steven Shaulis, a former U.S. Army Special Forces member and veteran government contractor. While Shaulis has not been sanctioned, the UN panel cites reliable testimony from eyewitnesses in Nyala and data from two member states confirming the cargo included lethal equipment. One Boeing 737 tied to the network was reportedly destroyed in May 2025 while carrying RSF personnel.

Cloaked Flight Paths and International Transit

Investigators highlight a pattern of evasion used to bypass the 2004 Darfur arms embargo. The Boeings, some acquired from Michigan-based Kalitta Charters II and others purchased via the South African firm Contractor Airways, allegedly operated out of a military apron in N’Djamena, Chad. Despite their presence on the ground, no official flight logs were recorded. The UN panel suggests the crews took deliberate measures to avoid detection, such as disabling transponders.

• Flight Corridor: The UN identified a N’Djamena-Nyala air bridge used for heavy transport.
• Night Operations: Multiple Boeing 727s and Ilyushin II-76 planes reportedly landed in Darfur under the cover of darkness between January and July 2026.
• Satellite Discrepancies: While satellite imagery and ground-level video place the Boeings at RSF hubs in Libya and Sudan, independent flight trackers show no digital record of these movements.

Craig Munro, a business partner of Shaulis and co-owner of Contractor Airways, denied any RSF affiliation, labeling reports of landings in Sudan and Libya as false. Chadian authorities claimed the aircraft lacked civilian authorization, though they noted military aviation matters are protected by defense secrecy laws.

The Role of Foreign Mercenaries

The UN report further illuminates the involvement of the "Desert Wolves," a group of Colombian mercenaries. Credible estimates suggest between 1,500 and 2,000 Colombians operated alongside the RSF. These contractors reportedly established a base in Nyala in March 2025 and provided technical expertise in drone warfare during the October 2025 siege of al-Fashir. The panel traced their recruitment to Global Security Services Group (GSSG), a firm based in the United Arab Emirates.

While the UAE mission to the UN stated that GSSG is not involved in mercenary activity, the UN panel remains focused on how this external support fueled the assault on al-Fashir. That offensive was marked by mass executions and systemic sexual violence, contributing to a conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and triggered what the UN describes as the most severe humanitarian disaster in the world.

Source: The Hindu — World