UAE plane carrying mercenaries downed

PORT SUDAN (AFP) — Sudan’s air force has destroyed an Emirati aircraft carrying Colombian mercenaries as it landed at a paramilitary-controlled airport in Darfur, killing at least 40 people, the army-aligned state TV said Wednesday.

A military source, speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity, said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) plane “was bombed and completely destroyed” at Darfur’s Nyala airport.

The airport has recently come under repeated air strikes by the Sudanese army, at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023.

There was no immediate comment from the RSF or from the UAE.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said his government was trying to find out how many Colombians died in the attack. “We will see if we can bring their bodies back,” he wrote on social media platform X.

State TV said the aircraft had taken off from an airbase in the Gulf, carrying dozens of foreign fighters and military equipment intended for the RSF, which controls nearly all of Darfur.

The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has long accused the UAE of supplying advanced weaponry, including drones, to the RSF via Nyala airport.

Abu Dhabi has denied the accusations, despite numerous reports from United Nations (UN) experts, United States political officials and international organizations.

Satellite images released by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab have shown multiple Chinese-made long-range drones at the airport of the South Darfur state capital.

In June, three witnesses told AFP that a cargo plane was bombed shortly after landing at Nyala airport.

On Monday, Sudan’s army-aligned government accused the UAE of recruiting and funding Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF, claiming it has documents proving that.

Reports of Colombian fighters in Darfur date back to late 2024 and have been confirmed by UN experts.