Khartoum, September 7(Darfur 24)
Identical military sources revealed on Saturday that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) imported helicopters and began using them for military missions, including transporting supplies and military commanders.
Sources affiliated with RSF told Darfur 24 that the latter acquired several Ababil military helicopters last June.
They indicated that some of the aircraft were painted green, while others were painted in a color resembling RSF uniform.
They reported that the helicopters took off from a neighboring country and landed at UNAMID’s former “Super Camp” airstrip, north of Nyala, South Darfur State.
The sources explained that the UNAMID airstrip was chosen due to its fortified location, with fuel tanks ready for use.
The RSF have reopened Nyala International Airport, receiving its first flight on September 24 of last year, and flights continue to operate continuously.
The sources said that the helicopters are conducting regular flights on various missions, including transporting supplies and military commanders to El Fasher, Umm Kadada, and Al-Zurq base in North Darfur, in addition to flights to Kass, west of Nyala; Zalingei, Central Darfur State; and Umm Dafuq. Border.
In addition, a military source told Darfur 24 that violations in the delivery of supplies transported by vehicle, as well as targeting by army artillery in El Fasher, prompted RSF to use helicopters to transport equipment and supplies.
In turn, a soldier from the RSF guard staff told Darfur 24 that he drove the commander to the former UNAMID helipat so he could depart by helicopter at night for the Um Dafuq area on a military mission.
He explained that he waited for the commander to return in the early morning hours to pick him up.
Sources reported that a brigadier general in the Rapid Support Forces arrived in Nyala from the Triangle area in one of these helicopters, piloted by a Ukrainian crew.
Darfur 24 verified the authenticity of a video posted by RSF showing foreigners around a military helicopter in the Um Dafuq area, on the border with the Central African Republic. The newspaper was unable to determine the time of the helicopter’s landing and takeoff.
In the same context, eyewitnesses from Nyala told Darfur 24 that they had become accustomed to hearing the sound of a military helicopter hovering around 7:00 PM and midnight in the northern part of the city every day over the past few weeks.
Eyewitnesses said they initially thought the helicopter belonged to the Sudanese army, but it quickly landed without any sound of anti-aircraft fire.