UN Panel Links US Veteran's Planes to RSF Support

The United Nations Panel of Experts on the Sudan reported that aircraft operated by companies tied to Steven Shaulis, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, may have supported the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during the October 2025 siege of el-Fasher. The panel cited reliable information indicating that these flights transported mercenaries, RSF fighters, and military equipment, including weapons and drones.

The flights involved two companies: the UAE-based Occidental Support Services and the South African firm Contractor Airways, both owned or co-owned by Shaulis. Business partner Craig Munro denied the allegations, asserting that the air fleet was transporting medical equipment for a client in the ordinary course of business.

These revelations emerge as the RSF faces accusations of genocide from the UN and the U.S. State Department. While the United States has imposed sanctions on both sides of the Sudanese civil war, the UAE has reportedly aided the RSF through supplies and the laundering of stolen gold.