Sudan’s army allegedly kills Colombian and Ukrainian mercenaries
The Sudanese military has claimed that it killed several Colombian and Ukrainian mercenaries in the besieged city of El-Fasher in North Darfur, according to the Sudan Tribune on October 1st.
A local official said that the encounter occurred where the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces – with whom they have been at war since April 2023 – were shelling civilian infrastructure.
In a statement released on October 1st, the military’s 6th Infantry Division said that its troops had ambushed a group of “Colombian and Ukrainian foreigners” who were attempting to access high-rise residential buildings. The statement identified the group as drone and systems engineers.
It also added details of different engagement that occurred in east El-Fasher where numerous RSF combatants and senior commanders were allegedly killed. However, Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.
El-Fasher is the last city in the entire western region of Darfur that remains under military control. As part of a campaign to flush out the military and hold the entirety of Darfur, the RSF has imposed a siege on the city which started in May 2024.
Since then, El-Fasher has arguably been the most violent front in Sudan’s devastating civil war. The city and surrounding displacement camps have been the target of frequent large-scale attacks by the paramilitaries. The siege has also caused hunger and disease to rapidly spread due to the obstruction of humanitarian corridors.
The RSF has long been accused of hiring foreign mercenaries to aid with operations in specialist roles. In mid-September, Sudan formally lodged a complaint with the UN Security Council, accusing the United Arab Emirates of deploying Colombian mercenaries in Sudan to fight on behalf of the RSF, according to Middle East Eye on September 21st.
Sudan’s military authorities claimed that they had compiled “extensive evidence” of a “systematic campaign by the UAE to undermine the peace and security and the sovereignty of Sudan through the recruitment, financing and deployment of mercenaries to fight along with the Rapid Support Forces.” Such allegations have been firmly denied by the UAE, who has also been frequently accused of arming the RSF itself.
In August, the Sudanese air force shot down an Emirati aircraft carrying Colombian mercenaries as it was landing at an airport in Darfur under RSF control, according to Al Jazeera on August 7th.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro promptly announced that his government was working to verify the exact number of Colombian deaths in the attack. He wrote on X that “we will see if we can bring their bodies back.”
Sudan Tribune, Maghrebi.org, Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera
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