Sudanese Army Praises MiG-29s in Operations against Rebels

Commending MiG-29 fighters, the Sudanese armed forces said they were instrumental in operations against rebels.

“The MiG is a plane that does not break dust, despite being an interceptor plane, but it taught the militias a lesson that they will not forget in the hours,” the army posted on its official Twitter account Sunday. “The first, since the beginning of the military operation, no voice is louder than its voice, it dominates the air with merit, and simply no one can suppress its flight.”

Fierce fighting broke out in Sudan between two rival Sudanese armies trying to gain control of the capital. For months tensions had been building between Sudan’s military government: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s de-facto leader since a coup in 2019; and warlord Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). Hemedti is the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary unit that grew out of the Janjaweed militias.

On April 17, plumes of smoke could be seen rising above Khartoum international airport. In the fighting that erupted three days ago, nearly 100 civilians are said to have been killed.

Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier Saudia said one of its Airbus A330 passenger planes at the airport "was exposed to gunfire damage... with guests and crew on board" ahead of its scheduled departure to Riyadh. Following the attack, Qatar Airways suspended flights to Sudan.

RSF on April 15 claimed control of Marawi military airport; and Jabal Awliya air force base. In a video, which appears to have been recorded on Saturday, RSF fighters appear next to warplanes bearing the Egyptian flag.

The RSF also captured Egyptian military personnel are from the El-Sa’ka special force’s group.

The MiG-29s and military personnel took part in a recent joint Egyptian-Sudanese military exercise Nile Eagles-2 held in Merowe Air Base in Sudan in March this year.