Sudan military plane crashes with 20 on board

A Sudanese military plane crashed in a rural area west of the capital Khartoum on Sunday, killing some of the 20 armed forces personnel on board and injuring others, the army said.   

The plane was traveling from Khartoum to El Fasher in the country's strife-torn Darfur region, military spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid told Reuters without saying how many people died or what caused the crash.   

"Some were killed and some were injured," he said, adding that the Antonov 12 transport plane was also carrying military equipment.   

There have been several crashes in Sudan in recent years, where years of U.S. sanctions have made it difficult for airlines to get spare parts for their fleets.   

In August, 32 people including a government minister died when a plane taking them to an Islamic festival in a southern border state crashed. State media blamed that accident on bad weather.   

A military helicopter crashed in the country's North Kordofan state in December because of a technical failure, killing six crew members, the military said at the time.   

Government forces have been battling an insurgency in Darfur since rebels took up arms in 2003, accusing the central government of neglecting the remote region.

REUTERS