Sudan Crisis: Turkey’s Evacuation Plane Shot at While Landing [Photos]

An evacuation plane from Turkey is reported to have been shot at by the paramilitary forces in Sudan during its landing in the capital of Khartoum.

The plane had managed to make a safe landing after the paramilitary forces opened fire on Friday, April 28, 2023,

Meanwhile, only its fuel supply was damaged.

While confirming the incident, Sudan Army said the damaged fuel supply has been repaired.

In an earlier reports which claimed that a crew member was wounded during the attack but Turkey’s defence ministry had debunked the report.

He has said that there were no injuries though confirmed that the plane was shot at, according to Daily Mail.

In his wordings, “Light weapons were fired on our C-130 evacuation plane… Our plane landed safely. Although there are no injuries to our personnel, necessary repairs are being carried out on our aircraft,” a Turkish defence ministry statement said.

The RSF denied firing at the plane and said the army was ‘spreading lies’, adding: ‘Our forces have remained strictly committed to the humanitarian truce that we agreed upon since midnight, and it is not true that we targeted any aircraft in the sky of Wadi Seyidna in Omdurman.’

Thousands of desperate civilians are racing to board the last evacuation planes out of the capital before the fragile 72-hour ceasefire would end.

But with heavy explosions and gunfire rocking parts of the capital – and now evacuation planes being shot at – the situation has become even more desperate for those still trapped in Sudan.

There is no indication that due to the renewed threat of violence at the airstrip, evacuation flights will be stopped.

There are fears over the safety of those still trapped in the war-torn country. Air strikes, tanks and artillery shook Khartoum – the site of most of the violence – on Friday and a heavy bombardment pounded the adjacent city of Bahri, illustrating just how desperate the situation has become.

In persisting ceasefire violations, heavy gunfire and detonations rattled residential neighbourhoods of the capital region where fighting has been concentrated over the past week.

“The situation this morning is very scary. We hear the sounds of planes and explosions. We don’t know when this hell will end,” said 65-year-old Bahri resident Mahasin al-Awad.

The escalation of violence between the warring factions came hours after both sides had agree on a 72-hour extension of the truce.

At least 512 people have been killed and close to 4,200 wounded by the fighting since April 15, and a humanitarian crisis has mushroomed