UAE refutes Sudan’s aircraft attack allegation

Tense relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sudan have become apparent after the UAE seemingly being involved in Sudan’s internal conflict.

The UAE has responded to an announcement made by Sudan’s armed forces, as reported by The New Arab, via AFP stating that Sudan’s armed forces had destroyed an Emirati plane carrying mercenaries from Columbia into Sudan. This was rejected by the UAE on August 7th. 

A UAE official spoke to AFP, saying that the allegations were “unfounded” and “entirely false.” The official also said that it lacked “any evidentiary basis,” and “represented a continuation of (Sudan’s) ongoing campaign of disinformation and deflection. 

Since April 2023, Sudan has been faced with internal strife through a war between its army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Its army has extensively accused Abu Dhabi of being in support of the RSF, though this allegation has been denied. Sudan’s army claims that the mercenaries were set to back their rivals, the RSF. Columbia’s foreign minister has “categorically rejected” such allegations.

On August 6th, it was said by army-aligned state TV that Sudan’s air force struck the plane when landing at an RSF-controlled airport in the Darfur region, killing 40 of the Colombian mercenaries aboard. State TV confirmed that the plane had taken off from an airbase in the Gulf, and carried dozens of foreign fighters, in addition to military equipment intended for the RSF. The RSF controls almost the entirety of Darfur.

A source from Sudan’s military spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity, and said that the UAE plane “was bombed and completely destroyed” in Nyala airport in the devastated region. The airport has been repeatedly attacked via air strikes conducted by the Sudanese army.

The leader of the army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has also accused the UAE of supplying advanced weaponry, including drones, to the RSF through Nyala airport. This has been denied by the UAE, even in the face of several reports evidenced by UN experts, US political officials, and international organisations. UN experts have also reported that Colombian fighters have been in Darfur since 2024. The UAE instead places the blame on “one of the warring parties.” It has suggested that the Sudanese army may be behind the allegations, and claims they had “every incentive to manipulate the narrative.”

Columbian President Gustavo Petro has commented, stating that the Colombian government intends to determine the number of Colombians who died in the attack. He also confirmed that they would “see if we can bring their bodies back.”

The US has attempted to resolve the internal conflict in Sudan, however the attempt made by them in July broke down. This is due to a disagreement between the US, and Egypt and the UAE, as the nations were not aligned on the issue of what role the warring parties would play in a hypothetical path towards peace.

Diplomatic ties between Sudan and the UAE were severed in May, when the Sudanese government proclaimed that the UAE was an “aggressor state,” causing intensely strained relations. Abu Dhabi responded, stating that the Sudanese government did not “represent the legitimate government of Sudan.” Sudan’s case against the UAE was thrown out of the UN International Court of Justice due to the lack of jurisdiction. The case involved an alleged complicity in genocide.

Both sides in the Sudan conflict have been claimed to have committed war crimes, and the conflict has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands, and has displaced more than 14 million. The UN has described it as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.

The New Arab via AFP, Maghrebi.org