Khartoum: A Sudanese military cargo aircraft crashed late Tuesday in West Kordofan state, southern Sudan, the army said. A military statement indicated that the aircraft experienced a technical malfunction in its right wing, resulting in a loss of balance and subsequent fire. The aircraft crashed tens of kilometers west of the Sudanese army's position in the area.

According to Anadolu Agency, the aircraft was on a mission to airdrop supplies to field units in the besieged city of Babanusa, where the army is involved in clashes with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The military statement confirmed that all crew members were killed in the incident but did not specify their number.

Earlier that day, the RSF claimed responsibility for downing a military aircraft following alleged attacks on its forces in the region. In recent days, the army has been airdropping supplies to support its forces in Babanusa, which has been subject to repeated RSF assaults.

The three Kordofan states-North, West, and South-have recently witnessed fierce clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF. The rebel group also captured El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, on Oct. 26 and carried out massacres of civilians, according to local and international organizations. This has triggered warnings that the takeover could lead to a geographic partition of the war-torn country.

Since April 2023, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been engaged in a civil war that has resulted in the deaths of thousands, displaced millions, and contributed to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.