A British intelligence document alleges that General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) transported weapons and ammunition through a convoy presented publicly as humanitarian aid in South Kordofan, contradicting official statements issued after the convoy was struck.
According to the document, attributed to an intelligence service and published by the UK-based website UKNIP, the convoy targeted in the al-Rahad area was not a purely humanitarian relief convoy as claimed by the SAF. Instead, it reportedly carried “advanced weapons, ammunition and field equipment” intended for SAF units operating in South Kordofan.
The document says the convoy was outwardly classified as carrying humanitarian and relief supplies in order to facilitate its passage through areas experiencing intense military activity. Its actual contents, however, were described as exclusively military, aimed at reinforcing SAF forces deployed in the state.
The intelligence assessment further claims that the Rapid Support Forces carried out the strike after monitoring the convoy’s movements and gathering detailed information about its route and cargo, ultimately destroying it in full. This account contradicts initial reports portraying the incident as an attack on a humanitarian aid convoy.
The document points to a clear discrepancy in official messaging, noting that while military sources accused the RSF of targeting humanitarian assistance, the convoy was internally classified as a military shipment carrying “specialized weapons and ammunition.” It suggests that humanitarian cover may have been used to move combat supplies through conflict zones.
Observers cited in the report warn that, if the document’s claims are accurate, the practice represents a serious abuse of humanitarian work for military purposes. Such actions, they say, place genuine aid convoys and humanitarian workers at grave risk and undermine the principle of neutrality that relief operations depend on in armed conflicts.
The disclosure also raises legal and ethical questions over whether forces loyal to SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan are adhering to international humanitarian law, which prohibits the use of humanitarian symbols or convoys as cover for military operations due to the severe consequences for civilians and aid efforts.
