RSF Take Over Merowe Airport; Egypt Fighter Jets Destroyed!
ISWNews Analysis Group – Following the capture of the Merowe International Airport by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a number of fighter jets belonging to the Sudanese Army and the Egyptian military forces were destroyed or demolished.
According to the satellite images, some Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter aircraft, belonging to the Egyptian Army, were attacked at the Merowe International Airport in northern Sudan on April 17, 2023.
The pictures show that three Russian-made MiG-29 fighter aircraft of the Egyptian Army as well as four Chinese-made FTC-2000 fighter jets belonging to Sudan’s Army are seen at the international airport. When the image is being zoomed in at the position of the Egyptian fighter jets, it can be seen that one of the MiG-29 has been totally destroyed and other jets have problems such as liquid leakage and burning signs, which prove that they have got major damages. Furthermore, one of the FTC-2000 fighter aircraft of Sudan’s Army has been demolished.
Other images of the first days of the clashes show that at least two MiG-29 fighter jets were preserved in one hangar at the Merowe International Airport. The inspection of the satellite images shows observers that the ceiling of an aircraft hangar was destroyed in a rocket strike or an artillery attack, which may be utilized as the deployment of two fighter jets.
On April 15, the Rapid Support Forces succeeded in entering the Merowe International Airport and taking pictures of the deployed fighter jets, but the Sudanese Army’s immediate reaction pushed back the RSF militants temporarily. The RSF paramilitary group reinforced their ranks on April 17 and raided the international airport once more, which led to the retreatment of the Sudanese Army from the airport.
President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi addressed the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of Egypt as saying that the Egyptian military forces and fighter jets were present in Sudan in order to take part in joint maneuvers and trainings in collaboration with the Sudanese Army; so, the advisory presence of the Egyptian military forces in Sudan as well as their support for the Sudanese Army in the fight against the Rapid Support Forces have been denied by the Egyptian authorities.
Given the fact that the military drills were carried out in last March, the reason behind the permanent deployment of the Egyptian fighter jets in Merowe still remains unclear.
Read more: Fiasco Of Humanitarian Ceasefire In Sudan
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