The UAE airlift to Amdjarass, Chad

Source: GERJONJUL 3

In a recent blog post, I revealed a total of 28 recent cargo flights between the United Arab Emirates and an unknown location in Africa. This follow-up blog post reveals the destination of the airlift: the city of Amdjarass in Northeastern Chad.

This airlift has continued since the original blog post below, which is updated regularly to include later flights.

A new mystery airlift between the UAE and Africa
GERJON·JUN 30
A new mystery airlift between the UAE and Africa
In May and June 2023, there has been a large and uncommon amount of Ilyushin Il-76TD cargo flights from the UAE to Entebbe. Most of these flights continue to an unknown destination northwest of Entebbe. After another quick stop at Entebbe on the same day, they return to the UAE. Between 16 May and 30 Jun 2023, a total of 28 flights have been identified,…
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New evidence

Following the original publication of the blog post, new evidence has been presented to me. Because of the security of my source, I cannot go into details about what this evidence includes exactly. Whatever it is, it pointed at a specific airport in Northeastern Chad: Amdjarass.

According to Wikipedia, Amdjarass is the capital city of the Ennedi-Est region in the Northeast. In 2009, its population was almost 21,000. Despite its small population, Amdjarass features an airport with an impressive 3,000 m paved runway, which was opened as recently as 28 Dec 2022.

Near-daily Planet satellite imagery presented below show at least six Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft have visited the airport between 20 and 30 Jun 2023, confirming the claims presented above. This identification is confirmed by measurements of length, width and especially the distinctive general proportions of the Il-76. 

Ten Planet Superdove satellite scenes of Amdjarass International Airport (15.973078, 22.771360) acquired between 20 and 30 Jun 2023, displaying six Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft and one other aircraft. Note that there is no image on 27 Jun 2023 and two images on 28 Jun 2023.

Notably, the presence of an aircraft on satellite imagery depends on the overpass time of the satellite. An aircraft can only be seen if it is on ground at the moment the satellite image is made. Because of this, the real amount of visiting aircraft is always greater than or equal to the amount of aircraft seen on satellite imagery.

In the weeks before 21 Jun 2023 (01 May 2023 – 20 Jun 2023), no Il-76s can be seen on satellite images of Amdjarass. These have therefore not been included in the above graphic.

Graphic representation of the route flown by Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft flying from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Amdjarass, Chad via Entebbe, Uganda.

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Potential reasons for the flights

Refugee influx

According to a 28 May 2023 WAM news report, the Emirates Red Crescent has been operating an airlift to Abéché Airport in Chad. The aim of this airlift is to “reduce the humanitarian repercussions on the Sudanese people affected by the events in their country.” The indicated destination is Abéché, which is located some 330 km southwest of Amdjarass.

Unlike Amdjarass, Abéché is located along major roads, allowing for easy transportation of cargo over road. According to a June 2023 UNHCR fact sheet, Abéché is located in an area with around 74,000 Sudanese refugees. Confirming just how remote Amdjarass is, Google Maps is unable to calculate a car route between Amdjarass and Abéché.

With a runway length of 2,800 meters, Abéché is able to receive almost any aircraft. It is therefore indeed a much more logical destination for humanitarian aid than Amdjarass. Aid is therefore not a logical explanation for the Amdjarass flights.

Chad-UAE cooperation

Chadian transitional president of Chad Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno (left) and UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (right) during their meeting in Abu Dhabi.

On 14 Jun 2023, one week before the frequent Il-76 sightings at Amdjarass, Chadian Four-Star General and Transitional President Mahamat Déby visited Abu Dhabi, the origin of the recent airlift to Chad. According to a Chad government publication, five agreements were signed, including the topics energy, geology and the field of “military, security and counter-terrorism”.

In the month before his visit, I identified a total of 10 flights. In the 2-3 weeks after the visit, I identified a total of over 20. No flights were identified between 11 and 20 Jun. The first appearance of aircraft on satellite imagery of Amdjarass matches up with the days after the Presidential visit to the UAE.

Looking at the flight patterns and sightings on satellite imagery, is therefore not unthinkable that the first part of the reported airlift includes humanitarian aid for displaced Sudanese people, while the second (and current) part of the airlift has a different destination and cargo type, related to the Presidential visit.

In my earlier blog post, I established that the origin of at least some of the recent flights was the military apron at Abu Dhabi International Airport, confirming a link to the UAE Government.

Conclusions

The destination of many of the recent flights from the military apron at Abu Dhabi International Airport is Amdjarass, a remote city in Northeastern Chad. The destination of earlier flights from the UAE via Entebbe remains unconfirmed. 

The humanitarian situation in neighbouring Sudan explains some recent UAE flights towards Chad, but is not a likely explanation for the recent flights to Amdjarass, judging by UNHCR reports and the local geography.

One potential explanation for the flights to Amdjarass is the recent Chadian Presidential visit to Abu Dhabi last month, which included new agreements in the fields of energy, geology and “military, security and counter-terrorism”.