Sudan29 July, 20263 min read
UN Panel Says Boeing 727s Linked to Steven Shaulis Supplied RSF With Weapons From Chad
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UN draft report: Boeing 727s linked to US contractor supplied mercenaries, weapons, drones to RSF. Cross-border logistics networks used Boeing 727s to aid RSF operations.
Boeing 727s and RSF
A UN Panel of Experts on Sudan draft report, due to be published in September, says Boeing 727 aircraft linked to companies associated with Steven Shaulis were used to transport fighters, foreign mercenaries, weapons, and drones for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The panel concluded that information from multiple independent sources indicates the aircraft supported logistics operations between Chad and RSF-controlled areas in Sudan’s Darfur region, and it found evidence the planes were used to move RSF personnel, foreign mercenaries, military drones, and other weapons into the conflict zone. Reuters reported that the aircraft were previously linked to companies associated with Steven Shaulis, a former US Army Special Forces soldier and longtime US government contractor, and the UN report stated that three Boeing 727 aircraft arrived in Chad two years ago and operated from the military section of N’Djamena airport.
The UN investigators also documented repeated nighttime arrivals of Boeing 727 and Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft at Nyala, the RSF’s main logistics hub in Darfur, between January and July this year. The draft report describes the wider conflict as part of Sudan’s civil war since 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, triggering what the UN described as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises with nearly 20 million people facing acute food insecurity, more than 8.9 million internally displaced, and over 150,000 people reportedly killed.
Avoiding Detection, Denials
The UN Panel of Experts on Sudan said the three Boeing 727s appeared in Chad from November 2024 and operated from the military tarmac at N’Djamena airport, but it noted that no movements were recorded after their arrival in N’Djamena. The panel suspected the Boeings had taken "deliberate steps to evade in-flight detection," while Reuters had previously traced the aviation network using satellite imagery, mobile phone data, and open-source intelligence.
Steven Shaulis did not respond to questions about the UN report, and the RSF also did not respond to requests for comment, according to the Reuters-linked reporting summarized in Zonebourse Suisse. Chad’s Civil Aviation Authority said none of the Boeings were authorized to operate from Chad, and Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul said questions about the aircraft fell under state secrecy, adding that Chad’s only involvement in the war in Sudan was through "diplomatic efforts to restore peace."
Mercenaries and Regional Stakes
Beyond the aircraft network, the UN draft report says between 1,500 and 2,000 Colombian mercenaries were recruited through Global Security Services Group, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, and deployed to Sudan. Investigators disclosed that contractors established a base in Nyala in 2025, where they allegedly operated drones and supported military planning for the RSF offensive on El-Fasher, during which the paramilitary group has been accused of carrying out mass killings and other abuses against civilians. The draft report also says the Colombian mercenaries, known as the “Desert Wolves,” established a military base in Nyala by March 2025 and played an active role in operating drones and planning the military actions that led to the siege and control of the historic city of El Fasher in Darfur in October 2025.
The UN investigation is framed as monitoring the Darfur arms embargo imposed on Darfur since 2004 under United Nations Security Council resolutions, and it describes the cross-border flow of weapons and foreign mercenaries as compounding regional and international peace efforts. The Defense Post says the conflict has triggered what the UN described as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with nearly 20 million people facing acute food insecurity, more than 8.9 million internally displaced, and over 150,000 people reportedly killed.