A Sudanese military plane belong to General Abdel Fattah al Burhan’s army crashed on Tuesday near Khartoum due to a technical malfunction, killing its crew, a military source confirmed.
The aircraft, identified as an Antonov, went down near Wadi Seidna air base in Omdurman.
“A number of officers were on board when the plane crashed,” the source told AFP, speaking anonymously due to media restrictions.
Residents in northern Omdurman reported hearing a powerful explosion, followed by widespread power outages across multiple neighborhoods.
A witness said the aircraft was flying south from northern Sudan when it plummeted near the airbase, which also hosts a military airport.
The crash comes amid intensified fighting between the Burhan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of the capital.
Just a day earlier, the RSF claimed responsibility for downing a Russian-made Ilyushin fighter jet in Nyala, South Darfur’s capital.
In a statement, the RSF said the plane was destroyed with its crew on board, escalating tensions in the war-torn nation.
Burhan’s forces have recently gained ground in central Sudan and parts of Khartoum as their offensive against the RSF intensifies.
Since April 2023, a bitter rivalry between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has fueled a devastating conflict.
What began as a power struggle has spiraled into one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history, according to the United Nations.
