The Sudanese Armed Forces have destroyed a plane from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) carrying Colombian mercenaries on board.
Al Jazeera reported on this, citing a statement from state television.
According to reports, on August 6, during the plane’s landing approach at the Nyala Airport in South Darfur, the Sudanese Air Force carried out an airstrike against it.
This airport has been controlled by the anti-government paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023 and serves as a supply hub.
According to the state broadcaster, the strike killed at least 40 Colombian mercenaries who were on board the UAE-chartered plane.
A military source, speaking anonymously to AFP, stated that the plane “was bombed and completely destroyed.”
The Nyala Airport has recently been subjected to multiple airstrikes by the Sudanese army, which has been fighting the anti-government Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. Since then, a civil war has been ongoing in the country.
The reports of Colombian mercenaries in Darfur date back to late 2024 and have been confirmed by United Nations experts.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has instructed the country’s embassy in Egypt to investigate the details of the deaths of Colombian nationals and to arrange for their bodies to be returned home.
In December of last year, Sudan stated that the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had expressed regret “regarding the involvement of some of its citizens in the war.”
According to media reports, Colombian mercenaries, many of whom are former soldiers and guerrillas, have participated in other global conflicts and were previously hired by the UAE for operations, including in Yemen.
The civil war in Sudan, now in its third year, has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, and 13 million have become refugees. The country is experiencing a catastrophic food shortage.
