Has Ukraine targeted Wagner in the Sudan?
Follow-up - moatinoon
A thermal imaging video showed military forces equipped with high-tech equipment, far more sophisticated than the Sudanese have shown so far.
Another clip showed a series of high-resolution strikes daytime from the sky in and around the city itself, hitting targets supported by the Russian group Wagner in Sudan.
A Ukrainian military source told CNN that this was the work of a foreign army.
When asked whether they would unequivocally say that Kiev was behind the attacks, the source merely said that Ukrainian special forces are most likely to be responsible, which would constitute a dramatic expansion of Kievs war scene against Moscow.
Previous CNN investigations have revealed that Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with significant support from Wagner, are fighting against the Sudanese army in a war for domination.
CNN obtained a series of videos of the operation, showing 14 different strikes on RSF weapons and equipment that Wagner is believed to have provided.
We have 7 identified various drone strike sites in Omdurman, the RSF stronghold that has become a focal point in the conflict. We geographically located the night raid footage on the city itself by identifying the buildings that appear in the photographs.
The drone video obtained by CNN has already been edited, but there is still evidence about the identity of those behind the attacks. The text on the drone controllers screen - which appears in the video - is written in Ukrainian.
Ukrainian troops use widely available commercial drones, with a maximum video transmission range of about 9 miles, which means we can say that aircraft managers were in the Sudan near them.
It is a common tactic in Ukraine but not so much in the Sudan. Drone experts consulted by CNN said this was the first time Drone aircraft had been deployed in such a way in Africa.
CNN shared the videos with a high-ranking Sudanese source in the Sudanese army for comment, who said he had no knowledge of a Ukrainian operation in the Sudan and did not believe it to be true.
The Sudan became involved in Russias war against Ukraine last year, despite being thousands of miles from the front line, when Wagner, as we previously revealed, exploited gold resources in the Sudan to help finance Moscows war efforts in Ukraine, wrapping up U.S. sanctions on Russia.
After a plane carrying Wagners leader, Yevgeny Bregogen, landed late last month, many thought Wagners influence would recede, but the exact opposite was what happened.
Military whistleblowers in a number of African countries told CNN that the Kremlin is strengthening its authority over Wagners networks in the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali and Sudan.
Now this network has expanded further, this time to Chad. Chad has already been affected by the problems in neighbouring Sudan, yet it is emerging as a major transit point for the supplies of the Sudans Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as part of the expansion of Russias influence in Africa.
By cross-referencing the testimonies of intelligence and military sources active in the region with satellite imagery, CNN revealed evidence that Wagners weapons crossed through Chad during the past two weeks to reach a military base of the Sudan Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
When looking closely, more than 100 vehicles, including dozens of trucks, can be seen at the base. Evidence of the continued supply provided by Russia and Wagner.
A blow to Wagner-backed forces in the Sudan would be a blow to Moscow, and if Ukraine were behind that, it would increase the risk for those who wish to accept Wagners future support.
Source:
https://arabic.cnn.com/middle-east/video/2023/09/20/v144452-ukraine-drone-strikes-wagner-sudan-nima-elbagir-intl-ldn-vpx
