A satellite image that the account AfriMEOSINT says shows a UAE linked Il-76TD cargo aircraft at Asosa Airport in Benishangul Gumuz on November 14, 2026. Credit: AfriMEOSINT (@AfriMEOSINT) on X.
The flight tracking account AfriMEOSINT said on Saturday that a cargo plane linked to the UAE government was at Asosa Airport in Benishangul Gumuz, the Ethiopian region bordering Sudan.
The account, which follows military logistics in Africa and the Middle East, posted a satellite image it said showed an Il-76TD on the apron and wrote that the airport “sees frequent daily Il-76 flights carrying weapons and fighters to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in neighbouring Sudan.” It did not show cargo being moved, and Mereja Media could not verify what the plane carried. Sudan’s army led government has accused Ethiopia of letting its territory be used for drone attacks and supplies to the RSF, which Ethiopia denies.
Rich Tedd, who posts open source analysis on X as @AfriMEOSINT, wrote on Sunday that he had “credible reports” that Il-76 flights linked to the United Arab Emirates into Asosa, Bahir Dar, Gondar and Nekemte had risen to six or seven a day, and he tied them to preparations by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces through Metema. He did not name his sources, and Mereja Media could not verify the claim.
AfriMEOSINT also said that on Friday night a Boeing 747 freighter registered ER-MAM, operated by Pecotox Air, which it described as linked to the UAE government, flew from Al Ain in the UAE to Ethiopia, where it believed the plane landed at Harar Meda air base near Bishoftu to deliver military cargo. The claim about the landing place was not confirmed.
In a separate thread, the account said dozens of Toyota Land Cruiser pickups unloaded at Kenya’s Lamu port had crossed into Ethiopia at the Moyale One Stop Border Post in recent days, giving coordinates for the crossing. “Their destination is unconfirmed. Some say Sudan or South Sudan, while sources told me the vehicles are intended for the Ethiopian government,” it wrote. Moyale has seen weeks of heavy fighting between Oromia and Somali regional forces.
Neither the Ethiopian government nor the UAE commented on the posts. This week AfriMEOSINT also said a UAE linked Il-76 was loaded with drones at Al Safran air base before flying to Ethiopia, and an OSINT analyst said such planes were parked at Gondar airport. Sudan’s army said on Friday it downed a drone over Dandaro that crossed from Ethiopia.
Sources
- AfriMEOSINT on X, Il-76TD at Asosa, Nov 14
- Rich Tedd (@AfriMEOSINT) on X, Il-76 flights six or seven a day, Nov 15
- AfriMEOSINT on X, ER-MAM 747 Al Ain to Ethiopia, Nov 14
- AfriMEOSINT on X, Land Cruisers from Lamu cross at Moyale, Nov 14
- AfriMEOSINT on X, Moyale geolocation, Nov 14
- Xinhua, Sudan-Ethiopia tensions escalate amid mutual accusations, Nov 14
- Mereja Media, UAE linked Il-76 loaded with drones at Al Safran
- Mereja Media, UAE linked Il-76 cargo planes parked at Gondar airport
- Mereja Media, Sudan says it downed a drone over Dandaro