Eyewitnesses in Umm Kadada, North Darfur, have reported the presence of a team conducting maintenance work on several disused landing strips in the area. Residents said the group, escorted by heavily armed security, inspected and repaired the former UNAMID runway located west of the town.
They were seen clearing vegetation, levelling the ground, and restoring parts of the old airstrip once used by the African Union–United Nations Mission in Darfur. Local sources stated that the same crew installed unidentified towers on Jabal Umm Kadada, Jabal Hilla, and the Brosh areas. The purpose of the installations remains unknown.
A youth leader in North Darfur, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had already begun rehabilitating another air strip in the town of Gwiyya, about 30 kilometres east of Umm Kadada. He added that inspections were also carried out at the “Donkey Al-Daqandaga” strip northwest of the locality, with additional towers erected in nearby mountains.
Residents noted that these airstrips date back to earlier administrations and were previously used by Sudanese authorities and international organisations to access remote communities near Kordofan. Last September, reports indicated that the RSF had deployed helicopters to the former UNAMID base in Nyala, using it as a temporary air facility.
Verified footage also showed foreigners near a military helicopter in Umm Dafuq, on the border with the Central African Republic, though the timing of the incident could not be confirmed. The RSF has since reopened Nyala International Airport, which received its first flight on 21 September last year. Regular operations have reportedly continued under RSF control.
