A military source, speaking to AFP 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. 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. State TV said the aircraft had taken off from an airbase in the Gulf, carrying dozens of foreign fighters and military equipment intended for the RSF, which controls nearly all of Darfur. The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has long accused the UAE of supplying advanced weaponry, including drones, to the RSF via Nyala airport. Abu Dhabi has denied the accusations, despite numerous reports from UN experts, US political officials and international organisations. Satellite images released by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab have shown multiple Chinese-made long-range drones at the airport of the South Darfur state capital. In June, three witnesses told AFP that a cargo plane was bombed shortly after landing at Nyala airport.

Full report : Sudan state media says its military destroyed UAE plane carrying 40 Colombian mercenaries.