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Sudan’s Air Force has destroyed an Emirati aircraft that was carrying Colombian mercenaries as it landed at an airport controlled by paramilitary forces in Darfur, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 individuals, according to state TV aligned with the army on Wednesday.
A military source reported that the UAE plane “was bombed and completely destroyed” at Nyala Airport in Darfur, which has recently experienced numerous air strikes from the Sudanese army, currently engaged in conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023. There has been no immediate response from the RSF or the UAE.
State TV said that the aircraft had departed from a Gulf airbase, transporting numerous foreign fighters and military supplies intended for the RSF, which dominates almost all of Darfur.
The army, under the leadership of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has consistently accused the UAE of providing advanced weaponry, including drones, to the RSF via Nyala airport. Abu Dhabi has refuted these claims, despite multiple reports from UN experts, US political figures, and international organisations.
Satellite images released by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab have indicated the presence of multiple Chinese-made long-range drones at the airport in the capital of South Darfur state.
On Monday, Sudan’s army-aligned government accused the UAE of enlisting and funding Colombian mercenaries to support the RSF, asserting that it possesses documents to substantiate these claims.
Reports of Colombian combatants in Darfur have been circulating since late 2024 and have been validated by UN experts.
This week, the Joint Forces, a pro-army coalition in the extensive western region of Darfur, reported the presence of over 80 Colombian mercenaries fighting alongside the RSF in El-Fasher, the last state capital in Darfur still under the control of the army.
Several of them were reportedly killed in drone and artillery attacks during the RSF’s most recent offensive, according to the coalition.
The army also published video footage it claimed depicted “foreign mercenaries believed to be from Colombia.”
In December, Sudan announced that Colombia’s foreign ministry had expressed remorse “for the involvement of some of its citizens in the war.”
Colombian mercenaries, many of whom are former soldiers and guerrillas, have been involved in various conflicts globally and have previously been contracted by the UAE for operations in Yemen and the Gulf.
Sudan’s war, now entering its third year, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the displacement of 13 million people, and has led the country into the most severe hunger and displacement crisis in the world.
