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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]
2 clusters · 7 sources · 13 days · First seen · Last updated
Categories: INTERNATIONAL
Sudan RSF air supply operations
Entities: Sudan · United Nations Panel of Experts on Sudan · Boeing · Steven Shaulis · Rapid Support Forces
Overview
An investigative report released in July 2026 revealed that companies owned by former U.S. Special Forces soldier Steven Shawlis operated a fleet of aging Boeing 727 and 737 aircraft to transport supplies for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The planes moved from the United States and Brazil to hubs in Chad, then on to logistics sites in Sudan’s Darfur region, Libya and Somalia, bypassing local aviation permits. A Boeing 737 was destroyed by the Sudanese army in May 2025, killing 54 people, including Shawlis‑linked staff. The revelations triggered diplomatic tension, with Chad denying authorization for the flights and the United Nations distancing itself from the operations.
A second report drafted by United Nations experts in late July 2026 built on the earlier investigation, confirming that the same Boeing aircraft were used to transport mercenaries, weapons and drones for the RSF. The UN draft noted that these flights violated the arms embargo on Darfur that has been in place since 2004. The report is slated for Security Council review in September, further highlighting the role of the Shawlis‑linked air network in sustaining the RSF’s military capabilities amid the ongoing Sudan civil war.
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 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 UN Panel of Experts on Sudan drafted a report to be submitted to the Security Council in September. (UN draft report)
- [● 3 SOURCES] One of the planes, a Boeing 737, had RSF fighters onboard when it was destroyed in May 2025. (Reuters investigation)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The United Nations has imposed an arms embargo on Darfur since 2004. (UN Security Council resolution)
- [● 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] Steven Shaulis is a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier and longtime U.S. government contractor. (Reuters background information)
Timeline
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about 4 hours ago
[INTERNATIONAL] 5 sourcesUN Report Finds Boeing Aircraft Transported Weapons for Sudan's RSFUN experts report Boeing planes linked to a US contractor moved weapons and mercenaries for Sudan's RSF, breaching a 2004 Darfur arms embargo amid a war that has killed hundreds of thousands.
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13 days ago
[INTERNATIONAL] 2 sourcesFormer US Soldier Steven Shawlis Tied to RSF Air Supply Flights in SudanInvestigative reporting links former U.S. soldier Steven Shawlis’s firms to a fleet of Boeing planes that supplied Sudan’s RSF, with flights from the U.S. and Brazil landing in Chad and Sudan, prompting foreign
Sources
al-monitor.com · alaraby.co.uk · ca.sports.yahoo.com · index.hr · nativitytv.ps · wixx.com · wvfm1065.com