Mystery of downed airplane in Sudan deepens as Kyrgyzstan insists aircraft had been de-registered

The mystery surrounding a crashed cargo plane in Sudan purportedly downed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces deepened Tuesday as authorities insisted the aircraft had been de-registered in Kyrgyzstan. Just who was flying the Ilyushin Il-76 at night over war-torn Darfur remains in question. The aircraft previously was linked to an effort by the United Arab Emirates to arm the paramilitary force known as the RSF, something the UAE has strenuously denied despite evidence to the contrary. But the plane’s crash early Monday highlights the chaos gripping Sudan since April 2023, when the RSF and Sudan’s military went to war. Their conflict has killed over 24,000 people, forced millions to flee their homes and has left some families eating grass in a desperate attempt to survive as famine sweeps parts of the country. Mobile phone footage posted online showed RSF fighters among the plane’s burning wreckage, claiming they shot it down with a surface-to-air missile. Identity documents shown included a Russian passport and an ID that linked to a UAE-based company, whose phone number was disconnected. The Russian Embassy in Sudan since Monday has been investigating. A crumpled safety card, also purportedly from the aircraft, identified the plane as flown by New Way Cargo of Kyrgyzstan. However, Zuurakan Kadyrova of New Way Cargo told The Associated Press on Tuesday that her firm’s lease of the aircraft expired at the end of 2023. “Since that time, we have no records regarding the aircraft,” she said. “We are saddened by the news of the incident that occurred in Sudan and express our condolences to the crew and their families.”<br/>