UN experts confirm Boeing planes carried weapons for Sudan's RSF

Source: Reuters

Published - July 29, 2026 01:09 pm IST - London/Cairo

United Nations experts have found that Boeing 727s linked to a U.S. military contractor's business network transported mercenaries, weapons, and drones for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a draft UN report due to be published in September.

The findings provide additional important details about the role the aircraft played in supporting the RSF, the paramilitary force UN investigators have accused of committing genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.

"The Panel received reliable information from four sources that the aircraft had transported RSF fighters and mercenaries, as well as military equipment, including drones and weapons," the report said.

The report cited two eyewitnesses in Nyala, the RSF's main military and logistics hub in Darfur, and communications from two member States as sources of the information, without giving further details.

Background of the Investigation

A Reuters investigation published on July 15 traced three aging Boeing aircraft operated by companies linked to Steven Shaulis, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier and longtime U.S. government contractor, from an airport in Chad to logistics hubs used by the RSF in Sudan, Libya, and Somalia.

Reuters reported that one of the planes – a Boeing 737 – had RSF fighters onboard when it was destroyed in May 2025, but much remained a mystery about the planes' cargo. The news agency found no evidence that Mr. Shaulis or his companies had been sanctioned or accused of wrongdoing by authorities.

Mr. Shaulis did not respond to questions about the UN report. He previously declined to answer queries about his companies or the Boeing planes. The RSF did not respond to comment requests.

UN Report Details

The UN report reviewed by Reuters was compiled by the Panel of Experts on the Sudan, a group mandated by the Security Council to monitor an arms embargo imposed on Darfur in 2004. The draft report has been submitted to the Security Council for review ahead of publication.

Deliberate Steps to Avoid Detection

The planes identified by the UN were among those linked to RSF hubs.

The UN report said three 727s – one sold in Brazil to a Shaulis-linked company and two acquired from Michigan-based Kalitta Charters II – appeared in Chad from November 2024 and operated out of the military apron of N'Djamena's airport.

Kalitta's attorney told Reuters the company had carried out extensive due diligence before the planes were sold and no sanctions violations were flagged.

The UN panel said no movement by any of the three planes had been logged since they arrived in N'Djamena, adding that it suspected deliberate steps had been taken to avoid detection.

Broader Context

Sudan's civil war started in 2023 when leaders of the army and the RSF fell out over plans to integrate their forces during a failed transition to civilian government. The death toll since is estimated in the hundreds of thousands, and the fighting has worsened famine and disease, creating what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.