Overview

• Sudanese jets destroyed a UAE transport aircraft as it landed at Nyala airport, killing at least 40 Colombian mercenaries and wiping out an arms shipment destined for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
• Khartoum alleges the plane departed from a Gulf military base to deliver drones and other weapons that bolster the FAR’s operations in Darfur.
• President Gustavo Petro has dispatched Colombia’s ambassador to Egypt to confirm the number of nationals killed and arrange the return of their bodies.
• The United Arab Emirates has denied any role in Sudan’s civil war and has since barred Sudanese flights from entering its airspace or airports.
• United Nations experts and satellite analyses previously documented the use of Colombian fighters in Darfur and the transfer of Emirati-supplied drones through Nyala.