Sudanese airstrike hits Darfur airport, kills 40 suspected mercenaries, officials say

CAIRO (AP) – A Sudanese airstrike hit an airport in the country’s Darfur region controlled by a notorious paramilitary group, destroying a suspected Emirati military aircraft and killing dozens of suspected mercenaries, Sudanese officials and a rebel advisor said Thursday.

Wednesday’s strike on the Nyala airport killed at least 40 suspected mercenaries from Colombia and destroyed a shipment of arms and equipment that were sent by the United Arab Emirates to the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, according to two Sudanese military officials and an advisor to a Darfur rebel leader allied with the RSF.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. The advisor also requested anonymity for his safety.

Sudan plunged into chaos when simmering tensions between the country’s military and the RSF exploded into fighting in April 2023 in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country.

The fighting has turned into a full-fledged civil war that killed tens of thousands of people, displaced over 14 million people and pushed parts of the country into famine.

State-run Sudan TV reported the aircraft had taken off from a military base in the Arab Gulf region, and that Sudanese fighter jets struck it when it landed at the Nyala airport. It described the strike as a “blatant message” and a “new equation of deterrence” against foreign interference in Sudan’s affairs.

The Emirati Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. However, it has repeatedly denied involvement in the Sudan war by backing armed groups. There was also no comment from the RSF.

Responding to the reports, Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on X overnight that he ordered an investigation into the mercenaries’ killing.

The RSF seized Nyala, the capital city of South Darfur province, last year as part of the paramilitary group’s push to control the entire region of Darfur. The Sudanese government has accused the RSF of turning the city’s civilian airport into a military hub to receive weapons shipments and smuggle gold.

The Sudanese military has repeatedly struck the airport, saying it targeted aircraft delivering military supplies and mercenaries to the RSF.

U.N. experts confirmed in a report released in April that Colombian mercenaries were present in Darfur and that those mercenaries were hired by a private security firm to support the RSF.

According to the report, the Colombian Foreign Ministry acknowledged that Colombian mercenaries were in Darfur and announced the establishment of a special immediate response group to ensure the safe return of its nationals.

The Sudanese aviation agency, meanwhile, said the UAE barred Sudanese planes Wednesday from landing at its airports, in what it called a “surprise, uncoordinated” measure.

The Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement that a Sudanese airliner was also barred from taking off at the Abu Dhabi airport, according to a report by the state-run SUNA news agency.

The UAE’s Foreign Ministry also didn’t respond to a request for comment on the report.

Relations between the military-allied government in Sudan and the UAE have been frayed over Abu Dhabi’s alleged support to the RSF. The Sudanese government severed ties with the UAE earlier this year over the allegations.