The Sudanese Air Force destroyed a plane from the United Arab Emirates, conveying Colombian mercenaries – of which at least 40 were killed – at its landing at an airport controlled by the paramilitaries in Darfur (west), reported state television on Wednesday, August 6.
The device “Has been bombed and completely destroyed” During its landing at Nyala airport (Southern Darfur), a military source (AFP) told the anonymity. This airport has recently been bombed several times by the Sudanese army, engaged since April 2023 in a devastating war against the paramilitaries of the rapid support forces (FSR). In June, three witnesses reported that a cargo plane was bombed shortly after landing.
Neither the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Bourhane, nor the paramilitaries, commanded by his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, nor the United Arab Emirates reacted immediately.
Like other conflicts, that of Sudan is exacerbated by foreign interference, often carried out behind the basis. In this context, the army has long accused the Emirates of providing the FSR with advanced weapons, including drones, via Nyala airport. Abu Dhabi has always denied any involvement despite several reports of UN experts and international organizations. Satellite images published by the Humanitarian Research Lab from Yale University in the United States, show several long-range Chinese manufacturing drones stationed at the city airport.
Former soldiers or guerrillas
On Monday, the Sudanese government, aligned with the army, accused the Emirates of recruiting and funding Colombian mercenaries to fight alongside the paramilitaries, claiming to hold documents proving it. In late 2024 reports, the presence of Colombian fighters in Darfur were confirmed by UN experts at the end of 2024.
This week, joint forces-an active pro-army coalition in Darfur-reported the presence of more than 80 Colombian mercenaries alongside the FSR in El-Fasher, the last capital of Darfur still held by the army. According to this coalition, several of these mercenaries were killed. The army has also published video sequences presented as showing “A supposed foreign mercenaries”. The France-Presse agency (AFP) could not verify these videos independently.
In December, Sudan said that the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had expressed its regrets concerning “The participation of some of its citizens in war”. Colombian mercenaries, often former soldiers or guerrillas, have appeared in other conflicts around the world and have already been recruited by the Emirates for operations in Yemen and in the Gulf.
The war in Sudan, which is entering its third year, left tens of thousands of deaths, moved 13 million people and plunged this poor country in the worst current humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the UN. Since the loss of Khartoum, taken up by the army in March, paramilitaries have sought to consolidate their positions in Darfur, which they already control in large part.