The Russian mercenary group Wagner has been supplying missiles to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to help in the fight against the country’s army, Sudanese and regional diplomatic sources told CNN.
The sources said the surface-to-air missiles had significantly strengthened RSF paramilitary fighters and their leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as he struggles for power with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s military ruler and head of its armed forces.
On the Libyan border, where a Wagner-backed general, Khalifa Haftar, controls swathes of land, satellite imagery backs up those claims, showing an unusual increase in activity at Wagner’s bases.
The powerful Russian mercenary group has played a public and key role in Moscow’s foreign military campaigns, particularly in Ukraine, and has been repeatedly accused of committing atrocities. In Africa, it helped sustain Moscow’s growing influence and grab resources.
Dagalo and Burhan were jockeying for power in talks on restoring civilian leadership in Sudan before talks broke down, resulting in some of the worst violence the country has seen in decades.
The fighting has killed hundreds of people and deprived millions of people of electricity, water and food.
Satellite images show increased activity
Satellite images analyzed by CNN and the open source group “All Eyes on Wagner” show a Russian transport plane flying between two key Libyan air bases owned by Haftar and used by the sanctioned Russian fighter group.
Haftar supported the RSF, sources say, although he denies taking sides. And Wagner’s increased activity at Haftar bases, combined with claims from Sudanese and regional diplomatic sources, suggest that both Russia and the Libyan general may have been preparing to support the RSF even before the eruption of violence.
The increase in movement of the Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft began two days before the start of the conflict in Sudan on Saturday and continued until at least Wednesday, according to satellite imagery and Dutch open source expert Gerjon.
That plane, one of a class of aircraft known by the NATO designation Candid, flew from Haftar Khadim Air Base in Libya to the Syrian coastal city of Latakia – where Russia has a major air base – on Thursday. Of april. from Latakia back to Khadim. The next day, it flew again to another Haftar airbase in Jufra, Libya. He parked in a secluded area, something flight tracker Gerjon found highly unusual. This was the day the conflict broke out.
The transport plane returned to Latakia on Tuesday before flying back to the Libyan militia’s Khadim air base and then on to Jufra, according to Gerjon’s research. On that day, Russia launched surface-to-air missiles at Dagalo militia positions in northwest Sudan, according to regional and Sudanese sources.
For years, Dagalo was one of the main beneficiaries of Russian involvement in Sudan, as the main recipient of weapons and training from Moscow.
A CNN investigation in July 2022 exposed deepening ties between Moscow and Sudan’s military leadership, which granted Russia access to the East African country’s gold riches in exchange for military and political support. The relationship began in earnest after Moscow’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, when Russia began to see African gold riches as a way around a series of Western sanctions.
The 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the wave of sanctions that followed accelerated Russia’s looting of gold in Sudan and further bolstered military rule, increasing Wagner’s activity in the country.
The day before Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Dagalo headed a Sudanese delegation in Moscow to “advance relations” between the two countries.
Burhan and the Sudanese army also received support from Russia. Burhan and Dagalo were allies before the fight started. Together they led coups in 2019 and 2021. Both leaders were also previously supported by the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Both Middle Eastern powers urged calm in Sudan amid fears of wider regional repercussions.
However, foreign actors are already starting to intervene in the conflict. Egypt has a longstanding relationship with Burhan and has privately supported him in his power struggle, according to Sudanese and regional diplomatic sources. A group of Egyptian soldiers was captured by RSF at a military airport in northern Sudan on the first day of the violence and released days later.
In a statement to CNN, the RSF denied receiving help from Russia and Libya. Neither Haftar nor Wagner’s boss Yevgeny Prigozhin responded to CNN’s requests for comment.
(Featuring Naimh Kennedy)
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
