Sudan claims downing of Emirati plane carrying Colombian mercenaries
The attack, which left at least 40 dead, is the latest in a series of accusations by Sudan’s military that the UAE is arming its paramilitary rivals
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 on Wednesday.
A military source, speaking to Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity, said the 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 United Arab Emirates. (A UAE statement was later provided, and is at the end of this story).
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.