Abu Dhabi: Claims of an Emirati aircraft being shot down in Sudan baseless

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The United Arab Emirates has denied accusations by the Port Sudan government that Sudanese forces destroyed an Emirati aircraft carrying Colombian mercenaries in South Darfur. An Emirati official urged Khartoum to provide evidence, which he deemed impossible, noting that the camp of Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has repeatedly made such claims without any substantiation.

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The official, who requested anonymity, stated that “these false allegations, promoted by the so-called Port Sudan authority, are entirely untrue, lack any evidence, and are part of a systematic campaign of misinformation and distortion.”

He added that had the Sudanese government possessed any proof, it would have released it without delay, which further confirms the baseless nature of these accusations. According to him, the claims are part of an orchestrated media noise and disinformation strategy aimed at undermining the UAE’s efforts to end the conflict in Sudan and alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

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Since the outbreak of the war in Sudan, the UAE has consistently called on both the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to end the fighting without preconditions and to engage seriously in comprehensive peace talks, pursuing a quiet diplomacy aimed at resolving disputes and easing tensions.

This is not the first time al-Burhan’s camp has leveled such accusations against the UAE. In the past, they have accused Abu Dhabi of providing military and logistical support to the RSF, including supplying advanced weapons and facilitating the transfer of foreign mercenaries, particularly from Colombia, to fight alongside them.

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In May, the International Court of Justice dismissed a lawsuit filed by Sudan against Abu Dhabi, accusing it of complicity in genocide and support for the RSF. The decision embarrassed the Sudanese government and exposed the unfounded nature of its claims before the international community.

The UAE has repeatedly stated that the Sudanese army uses such accusations to distract the international community from the “atrocities” it is committing in Sudan and to justify the faltering peace process.

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Khartoum had announced the severance of diplomatic ties with Abu Dhabi, a move the UAE does not recognize, asserting that the “Port Sudan authority” does not represent the legitimate government. The Gulf state also assured that the Sudanese community in the UAE would not be affected by these recent measures.

On Wednesday night, Sudan’s state television reported that the army’s air force had destroyed “an Emirati aircraft carrying Colombian mercenaries” while landing at Nyala airport, which is under RSF control, killing at least 40 people.

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A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that the Emirati military aircraft “was bombed and completely destroyed” at Nyala airport in Darfur, which has recently been the target of repeated Sudanese army airstrikes amid its ongoing war against the RSF since April 2023.

The Emirati official pointed out that “it is telling that these allegations come from one party to the conflict,” adding, in reference to the Sudanese army, that it is “a party directly engaged in hostilities, with every incentive to shape the narrative to its advantage, undermine the peace process, and evade its moral, legal, and humanitarian responsibilities to end this catastrophic civil war.”

Earlier this week, the Joint Forces, an armed alliance in Darfur aligned with the army, reported the presence of more than 80 Colombian mercenaries fighting alongside the RSF in El-Fasher, the last Darfur state capital still under army control.

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