United Nations experts found that Boeing 727 aircraft linked to companies associated with a former US military contractor were used to transport fighters, foreign mercenaries, weapons, and drones for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Reuters reported.
The findings appear in a draft report by the UN Panel of Experts on Sudan, the Security Council body responsible for monitoring the Darfur arms embargo, which has previously accused the RSF of atrocities against civilians that may amount to genocide.
Expected to be published in September, the report adds to the evidence uncovered by Reuters earlier this year, when the news agency traced the aviation network using satellite imagery, mobile phone data, and open-source intelligence.
According to the UN investigators, information from multiple independent sources indicates that the aircraft supported logistics operations between Chad and RSF-controlled areas in Sudan’s Darfur region.
The panel found evidence that the planes were used to move RSF personnel, foreign mercenaries, military drones, and other weapons into the conflict zone.
According to Reuters, the aircraft were previously linked to companies associated with Steven Shaulis, a former US Army Special Forces soldier and longtime US government contractor.
Aircraft, Mercenaries, and Hidden Flight Routes
The UN report stated that three Boeing 727 aircraft, one acquired from Brazil and two purchased from US operator Kalitta Charters II through companies linked to Shaulis, arrived in Chad two years ago and operated from the military section of N’Djamena airport.
Investigators noted that the aircraft did not appear in conventional flight-tracking databases after arriving in Chad, suggesting they may have deliberately avoided detection while airborne.
Between January and July this year, the panel documented repeated nighttime arrivals of Boeing 727 and Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft at Nyala, the RSF’s main logistics hub in Darfur.
Beyond the aircraft network, the report also details what investigators describe as extensive foreign support for the RSF.
The panel concluded that between 1,500 and 2,000 Colombian mercenaries were recruited through Global Security Services Group, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, and deployed to Sudan.
Contractors established a base in Nyala in 2025, where they allegedly operated drones and supported military planning for the RSF offensive on El-Fasher, during which the paramilitary group has been accused of carrying out mass killings and other abuses against civilians.
Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF.
The conflict has triggered what the UN describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with nearly 20 million people facing acute food insecurity, more than 8.9 million internally displaced, and over 150,000 people reportedly killed.
