VZCZCXRO3949
OO RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1880 2201249
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 081249Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4054
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA PRIORITY

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001880 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPKO PGOV KCRM SU
SUBJECT:  NRF Claims it Shot Down SAF Antonov 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Late on August 7, the National Redemption Front (NRF) 
claimed it shot down a Sudanese Armed Forces Antonov aircraft 
earlier on August 7 near Seyah, roughly 85 km north of El Fasher. 
UNDSS (strictly protect) has confirmed the incident, and said that 
the aircraft made an emergency landing at the El Fasher airport, 
with the pilot and co-pilot medevaced subsequently to Khartoum.  Emb 
Officers saw a white Antonov at the El Fasher airfield that had lost 
a propeller and had sustained other damage, apparently the same 
Antonov. 
 
¶2. (U) The text of the NRF's statement is as follows: 
 
(Begin text) 
 
National Redemption Front 
 
NRF Forces Shoot Down a Government Antanov Plane in Darfur 
 
August 7, 2006 - Fresh news from Darfur, Monday 7th August confirms 
that forces of the National Redemption Front (NRF) have shot down a 
government Antanov plane over the town of Seyah in North Darfur. 
Seyah, 30km north of Melit, was a site of a fierce battle yesterday 
where the NRF scored a crushing defeat on invading forces belonging 
to Minnawi, Janjaweed and the government of Khartoum.  The Antanov 
military plane, marked 24, was in a punitive mission to bomb the 
civilians of Seyah town when it was shot down by the NRF. 
 
Sudan government is in the habit of bombing innocent civilians every 
time it loses a battle in Darfur.  While Antanov planes are 
hopelessly useless against forces of Darfur Movements, they can be 
lethal against innocent civilians in their grass cottages. 
 
NRF Secretariat 
 
(End text) 
 
¶3. (U) Reuters quotes a SAF spokesman as denying that a military 
aircraft was damaged by rebel fire, and said that a SAF aircraft had 
a mechanical problem and had managed to return safely to El Fasher. 
 
HUME