State silent after Kenyan pilot killed, plane wrecked in Sudan's RSF mission

Pilot George Nyamodi has been flying missions in war-torn areas of Sudan and Chad. [Courtesy] A Kenyan pilot flying a cargo aircraft was killed in a Sudanese military airstrike, intensifying scrutiny over Nairobi's entanglement - whether deliberate or inadvertent - in the civil war ravaging Sudan. His aircraft, a Boeing 727, under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was struck by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on the morning of Saturday, May 3, at Nyala Airport in South Darfur - an essential hub for the RSF. Among the casualties were a Kenyan pilot and several others, some of whom were also Kenyan. Their bodies were transported to Chad for identification, according to Sudanese officials. The pilot, George Nyamodi, has been flying missions in war-torn areas of Sudan and Chad. Many of his colleagues in the aviation sector described the flying guru, who hails from Alego in Siaya County, as a humble and joyous gentleman, who was truly sincere and honest. "We flew with him in South Sudan, a good pilot, and a good instructor. My condolences to the family," a pilot who did not want to be named told The Standard. Following an assault, RSF withdrew from Khartoum, calling it a tactical move. RSF leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), vowed to return stronger and ruled out talks with SAF. The retreat followed SAF retaking key sites, including the presidential palace. RSF fighters shifted to Omdurman, Darfur, and Kordofan. RSF has now launched retaliatory attacks by deploying drones at Port Sudan, targeting the airport, naval base, and fuel depots, causing fires, blackouts, and disrupting aid. They aimed to disrupt SAF logistics in western Sudan. SAF claimed to have shot down several drones. RSF has also targeted fuel depots in Kosti and military sites in Kassala and Kenana, while the SAF continued airstrikes on RSF hubs in Nyala. Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates of arming the RSF, a claim the UAE denied. The Kenyan pilot's death in an airport operated by RSF comes weeks after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua accused President William Ruto of conducting business with Sudan's RSF leader, Hemedti. Gachagua claimed the business include illicit gold that passes through Nairobi to Dubai, with profits allegedly funding RSF operations. "They are doing business with the RSF chief, involving gold that [is being] obtained from that area, brought to Nairobi, and then taken to Dubai. Yes, I can substantiate that," Gachagua said during a KTN News interview in February, arguing that Ruto's ties to the RSF has damaged Kenya's international standing. Gachagua recounted that he was merely a messenger in the unfolding drama - tasked by President Ruto to extend a formal welcome to Hemedti since he was a Vice President and whose visit to Kenya would only be welcomed by his peer, the Deputy President (Gachagua). After greeting Hemedti and ushering him into State House, Gachagua said he was promptly asked to leave the room, he claimed because the real conversation had nothing to do with Kenya. Gold business "I welcomed Hemedti, and delivered him to the President. There was nothing about Kenya, they were discussing business about gold and other things. I introduced him and I was told to leave because the talks had nothing to do with Kenya. If it had anything to do with the country I would have sat in that meeting." State House did not responded to these allegations and has kept quiet even as Kenyans asked questions following the former DP's claims. At the centre of the current storm is Nyala Airport, which has become a lifeline for RSF operations. Since late 2024, it has handled clandestine arms shipments, hosted RSF drone strikes and served as a hub for smuggling gold and evacuating wounded fighters abroad. Satellite images by different firms confirm RSF has upgraded the airstrip with help from foreign engineers, adding drone hangars, weapons depots, and electronic jamming systems. "The aircraft flown by the Kenyan pilot was downed in Darfur region and burned to ashes. I understand after that it rained heavily," a source in aviation told The Standard. Around Nyala, residents reported hearing at least three explosions at the airport hours after a plane suspected of delivering weapons and military gear to the RSF. They also saw an open-top vehicle carrying severely injured people and bodies from the airport toward the city centre, likely en route to Nyala Teaching Hospital. A plane landed and took off three times at Nyala Airport and before it took off again it was shot down, eyewitnesses told The Sudan tribune. SAF officials claimed the aircraft was being used to ferry weapons and supplies to RSF fighters. Al Jazeera quoted a military source saying the army struck RSF weapons and fuel depots at the airport. An RSF official confirmed the aircraft had been destroyed in a strike after landing, "There was nothing left but ashes after the rains." The incident comes as Kenya faces growing backlash for its perceived support of the RSF, a force accused of war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Once lauded as a peacemaker, Kenya now stands accused of aiding a militia at war with Sudan's internationally recognised government. In 2005 during the former President Mwai Kibaki's tenure, Kenya brokered the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed in Naivasha, which ended two decades of civil war in Sudan and paved the way for South Sudan's 2011 independence. The deal, mediated through Intergovernmental Authority on Development and backed by global partners, was seen as a major diplomatic success. Come 2025, however, Nairobi-under President William Ruto hosted a splinter group, RSF leaders and allied Sudanese factions, who used Nairobi to sign a charter proposing a "parallel government". The act marked a shift from Kenya's earlier neutrality risking its diplomatic credibility. Khartoum condemned the move as a "violation of sovereignty". Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi defended Kenya's engagement stating, "The RSF and Sudanese civilian groups tabling a roadmap in Nairobi is compatible with Kenya's non-partisan role in peace negotiations." But Sudan responded with fury-recalling its ambassador, banning all Kenyan imports, and labelling Kenya an "aggressor State''. A decree from Sudan's Ministry of Trade ordered "the suspension of all products coming from Kenya through all ports and airports until further notice." Despite the ban, President Ruto insisted trade continues: "We are selling tea to Sudan, even after they said they are not buying our tea." Sudan quickly hit back: "No Kenyan products, including tea, have been imported," a government statement said. The downed aircraft had a murky history. Once registered in Kenya as 5Y-CIG, the plane was later de-registered by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA). Pilots say its last known operator was South Sudan's air force. "Once de-registered, it is no longer under our jurisdiction," a KCAA official told The Standard. "We cannot confirm its current operations." The plane's past illustrates a troubling pattern of regulatory gaps and shadowy ownership. In 2020, while registered in Tajikistan as EY-724, the same aircraft skidded off a runway in Kigali. Despite its external markings, the cockpit still bore the Kenyan registration. Rwandan investigators later found the crew lacked valid licences. One pilot had no credentials, the others had been suspended. The aircraft failed basic airworthiness standards, according to a report by Rwanda's Ministry of Infrastructure Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Directorate. "The cockpit plate showed Kenyan registration 5Y-CIG, despite a Tajikistan ID on the fuselage," Rwanda's Ministry of Infrastructure said in a report on the investigation of the runway excursion incident to Boeing B727 with registration EY-724, at Kigali International Airport on November 13th, 2020. The aircraft's airworthiness certificate had been issued by Tajikistan's Ministry of Transport to Zone 4 International LLC, a Ugandan firm listed as inactive. The report adds that the flight plan, flight number TAK 270, and the load sheet for the incident flight originated from Transafrican Air Ltd, an indication that the Nairobi-based company was the operator. "The captain and first officer were unlicensed. The flight engineer had no training. This flight should never have left the ground," the report said .Rwanda said in its report that efforts to get answers from aviation authorities in Tajikistan, Uganda, and Kenya have yielded silence. The Standard could not confirm if the aircraft was still owned by Transafrican Air Ltd at the time of accident on Saturday last week.

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