Key facts
- UN experts found Boeing 727s transported mercenaries, weapons, and drones for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
- The aircraft were linked to a U.S. military contractor's business network.
- The findings are part of a draft UN report due to be published in September.
- Eyewitnesses and communications from member states were cited as sources for the UN report.
- The RSF is accused by UN investigators of committing genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.
- Colombian mercenaries, known as the Desert Wolves, were also detailed as supporting the RSF.
United Nations experts have found that Boeing 727 aircraft, linked by Reuters to a U.S. military contractor's business network, transported mercenaries, weapons, and drones for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a draft UN report. The findings offer crucial details about the aircraft's role in supporting the RSF, a paramilitary force accused by UN investigators of committing genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.
The report states that the Panel received reliable information from four sources indicating the aircraft transported RSF fighters, mercenaries, and military equipment, including drones and weapons. These sources included two eyewitnesses in Nyala, the RSF's primary logistics hub in Darfur, and communications from two member states. This corroborates a Reuters investigation from July 15, which traced three aging Boeing aircraft operated by companies linked to Steven Shaulis, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier and contractor, from Chad to RSF logistics hubs in Sudan, Libya, and Somalia.
Reuters had previously reported that one of the planes, a Boeing 737, had RSF fighters onboard when it was destroyed in May 2025, but much about its cargo remained unclear. The UN panel noted that three 727s appeared in Chad from November 2024, operating from the military apron of N'Djamena's airport. These planes were sold by Michigan-based Kalitta Charters II and one was sold in Brazil to a Shaulis-linked company. Kalitta's attorney stated the company conducted extensive due diligence and flagged no sanctions violations.
The UN panel also observed that no flight movements for these three planes had been logged since their arrival in N'Djamena, suggesting they were taking "deliberate steps to avoid detection while in flight." Between January and July 2026, multiple Boeing 727s and some Ilyushin II-76 transport planes reportedly landed in Nyala at night. Reuters had previously tracked the movement of similar Boeings from N'Djamena to RSF hubs using satellite imagery and other data, finding no record on independent trackers.
Shaulis and business partner Craig Munro are joint owners of Contractor Airways, the South African company that bought two of the 727s from Kalitta. Munro previously denied any connection between Contractor Airways and the RSF, calling Reuters' findings about landings in Nyala and Kufrah false. Chad's Civil Aviation Authority stated the Boeings lacked authorization to operate from Chad and that flight tracking was not managed by them, with foreign ministry officials citing defense secrecy.
Beyond the aircraft findings, UN investigators also detailed the scale of support provided to the RSF by Colombian mercenaries, estimating 1,500-2,000 men were credible. These mercenaries, known as the Desert Wolves, established a base in Nyala in March 2025 and fought alongside RSF forces, operating drones and participating in planning during the siege and capture of al-Fashir. The report found they were hired by UAE-based firm Global Security Services Group (GSSG). A spokesperson for the UAE mission to the UN stated that authorities investigated GSSG and found it was not involved in mercenary activity in Sudan and acted in compliance with laws.