Sudanese cargo plane crashes near Port Sudan, killing crew

ALBAWABA- A Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane crashed west of Port Sudan on Tuesday, killing at least three crew members during what officials described as a food-aid mission. 

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The aircraft went down about 10 kilometers from the city in the Adarawib district after what military sources told Al Jazeera was a “technical malfunction,” with no signs of enemy fire.

Footage circulating online showed the Soviet-era transport aircraft descending erratically and engulfed in flames before hitting the ground, scattering debris across a rural area. The SAF has not yet issued an official statement, and the full casualty count remains unclear as rescue teams continue their search.

The Il-76, a mainstay of SAF’s heavy-lift operations, has been increasingly prone to mechanical failures amid shortages of spare parts and intense wartime use. Tuesday’s crash is the latest in a series of SAF aviation losses, though unlike previous incidents, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have not claimed responsibility.

The crash comes as Sudan’s civil war enters its third year. Fighting between the SAF, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF militants under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) has killed an estimated 150,000 people and displaced more than 10 million, creating the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.