Overview
- The U.N. Panel of Experts submitted a draft report to the Security Council on July 29 that says three Boeing 727s based in Chad transported RSF fighters, foreign mercenaries and military equipment, including drones and weapons, into Darfur.
- The panel said the aircraft arrived in N'Djamena in November 2024 and made multiple night landings in Nyala between January and July 2026 while taking steps to avoid normal flight tracking.
- Investigators estimate 1,500–2,000 Colombian fighters known as the Desert Wolves operated from a Nyala base from March 2025 and that they were hired by a UAE-registered firm, a claim the UAE says it has investigated and found no links to mercenary activity.
- Ownership records tie two of the 727s to Contractor Airways after purchase from Kalitta Charters II, but the companies have denied links to the RSF and Chad’s aviation authority says the planes had no authorization to operate from Chad.
- If the panel’s final report matches the draft, the Security Council could consider targeted sanctions or referrals; the findings also underline how opaque private aircraft sales and clandestine air logistics have worsened the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.