UN Report Finds Boeing Aircraft Transported Weapons for Sudan's RSF
United Nations experts on the Panel of Experts on Sudan have drafted a report, due for Security Council review in September, that says Boeing 727 and 737 aircraft linked to a U.S. military contractor were used to transport mercenaries, weapons and drones for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The findings build on a Reuters investigation that traced three aging Boeing planes, operated by companies tied to former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier Steven Shaulis, from an airport in Chad to logistics hubs in Sudan, Libya and Somalia used by the RSF.
The RSF has been accused of committing genocide in Darfur, and the Sudan civil war that began in 2023 after a split between the army and the RSF has left hundreds of thousands dead, creating what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The draft report also notes that an arms embargo on Darfur has been in place since 2004, which the identified flights appear to have violated.
Entities: Boeing · Rapid Support Forces · Steven Shaulis · Sudan · United Nations Panel of Experts on Sudan
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Reuters traced three aging Boeing aircraft operated by companies linked to Steven Shaulis from an airport in Chad to logistics hubs used by the RSF in Sudan, Libya, and Somalia. (Reuters investigation)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Steven Shaulis is a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier and longtime U.S. government contractor. (Reuters background information)
- [● 3 SOURCES] One of the planes, a Boeing 737, had RSF fighters onboard when it was destroyed in May 2025. (Reuters investigation)
- [● 3 SOURCES] UN experts found that Boeing 727 aircraft linked to a U.S. military contractor transported mercenaries, weapons, and drones for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces. (UN Panel of Experts on Sudan draft report)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Sudan civil war began in 2023 after a split between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis. (UN report background)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The UN Panel of Experts on Sudan drafted a report to be submitted to the Security Council in September. (UN draft report)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The United Nations has imposed an arms embargo on Darfur since 2004. (UN Security Council resolution)