(MENAFN) A Sudanese military cargo plane has gone down in West Kordofan state, resulting in the deaths of all crew members, the army has announced.

In a contradictory account, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) asserted that it had shot down an army “warplane.”

The crash happened on Tuesday while the aircraft was delivering supplies to troops stationed in the besieged city of Babanusa, where the Sudanese military is engaged in combat with the RSF, the army reported.

According to the army, the plane experienced a “technical malfunction in the right engine,” which caused it to lose stability and ignite after it had “successfully completed a landing operation.”

The statement did not reveal the number of personnel on board.

In a separate announcement, the RSF claimed responsibility for downing an “Ilyushin warplane” over Babanusa, alleging that it had “launched airstrikes that killed dozens of civilians” across multiple locations in West Kordofan.

The RSF shared a video showing the burning wreckage on its Telegram channel but offered no additional proof.

The paramilitary group, as reported by a local outlet, has been attempting to capture the city since its initial assault in January 2024.

At the end of the previous month, the RSF took control of Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur and the headquarters of the Sudanese Army’s Sixth Infantry Division, following an 18-month siege marked by starvation and heavy shelling.

The attack on Al-Fashir has resulted in over 2,200 deaths and 390,000 displaced individuals, according to the Sudan Doctors’ Union.

The UN Security Council condemned the offensive, urging the RSF to comply with the provisions of a 2024 resolution demanding an end to the siege and a reduction of hostilities in the area.

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