A Sudanese military plane crashed near the capital on Sunday, killing 15 people on board, and leaving seven injured.

The Antonov 12 transport plane had been carrying military equipment and personnel to El Fasher in northern Darfur when the engine stopped working, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing 40km southwest of Khartoum.

There have been several air crashes in recent years where US sanctions have made it difficult to get spare parts but the Russian made Antonov aircraft are not subject to them.

This follows an earlier crash involving a cargo plane leased by Sudan airways in the United Arab Emirates in 2009 and in August 32 people, including a government minister, were killed when a plane taking them to an Islamic festival went down in a southern border state.

The Sudanese armed forces say they have formed a committee to investigate "the reasons for the recurrence of Antonov aircraft accidents."