Sudan's air force has bombed a United Arab Emirates (UAE) plane carrying Colombian mercenaries and military equipment as it landed at Nyala airport in Darfur, which is held by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudanese state television said. The bombing late Wednesday killed at least 40. A military source informed AFP the plane was "bombed and fully destroyed." The RSF has yet to make any comment.
Nyala airport has been a recent hotspot for air raids by the Sudanese military, which has been engaged in a bitter war against the RSF since April 2023. The RSF holds much of Darfur, while the army, whose leader is Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accuses the UAE of arming the paramilitary with sophisticated weapons, such as drones. The UAE has dismissed these claims.
The aircraft allegedly took off from a Gulf airbase with scores of foreign fighters and military supplies to bolster the RSF. Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed that his administration is opening an investigation into the number of Colombian citizens who were killed in the attack. He said that he intends to repatriate their remains and plans to prohibit mercenary activities, calling the business "men transformed into commodities to kill.
Colombian mercenaries are frequently retired soldiers and former guerrillas who have been seen in various hot spots around the world. Their presence was reported in Darfur late in 2024 and verified by United Nations analysts. The UAE had recruited and paid for Sudanese military personnel, Sudan's army claims, to take up arms with the RSF. Recently obtained video footage reportedly captures foreign fighters who are believed to be Colombians.
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As it is, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur also worsens. Thousands of families under siege in el-Fasher city are on the brink of starvation, says the UN's World Food Programme. In North Darfur, there has also been an outbreak of cholera that added to the misery of the population.
Sudan's conflict, now in its third year, has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced over 13 million individuals, creating one of the world's worst displacement and hunger crises. Satellite imagery has revealed Chinese-designed long-range drones at Nyala airport, raising concerns regarding the extent and sophistication of weapons entering the war.
With conflict ongoing, the lethal air raid represents a dramatic escalation in Sudan's ruthless war, underscoring the intricate regional politics and foreign meddling that have sustained instability in the region.
