UN experts, reviewing a draft report due in September, say aircraft identified in a Reuters investigation—Boeing 727s linked to a business network tied to a U.S. military contractor—carried mercenaries, weapons, and drones for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The draft findings add details about how the aircraft are alleged to have supported the RSF, a paramilitary force that UN investigators have accused of committing genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region.
The two outlets report that the UN assessment builds on earlier claims that these Boeing 727s were part of activities connected to the RSF. While the sources describe the UN experts’ conclusion that the aircraft transported personnel and materiel, they do not provide the full evidence in the published version of the report, which is still pending. Both accounts focus on the scope of the alleged support—extending beyond aircraft movements to include weapons and drone carriage—and on the RSF’s contested role in the broader conflict in Darfur.
The UN report’s final publication is expected in September.
