Tensions between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates have intensified following reports that the Sudanese air force shot down an Emirati aircraft allegedly transporting mercenaries and military equipment destined for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
- The Sudanese Air Force reportedly downed an Emirati aircraft suspected of transporting mercenaries and equipment for paramilitary forces.
- The incident, occurring at Nyala Airport in South Darfur, escalates already tense relations between Sudan and the UAE.
- This dispute underscores the worsening dynamics between the countries amidst Sudan’s ongoing conflict.
The incident, which took place at Nyala airport in South Darfur, a region controlled largely by the RSF marks a dramatic escalation in the already fraught relationship between Khartoum and Abu Dhabi.
According to state-run television aligned with the army, the Sudanese air force launched a surprise airstrike on the runway of Nyala International Airport in South Darfur early Wednesday.
The report, citing military sources, said the strike targeted a group of Colombian mercenaries arriving aboard a private aircraft believed to have taken off from a Gulf airbase.
The airstrike destroyed the plane and killed at least 40 people, identified by Sudanese authorities as foreign fighters.
The Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has long accused the UAE of funnelling arms and personnel into Sudan through Nyala airport.
Tensions peaked in May when Sudan’s Security and Defence Council announced the severing of diplomatic ties with the UAE, formally declaring it a “state of aggression.”
These claims have been echoed in reports by UN experts, U.S. officials, and international organisations, though the UAE has repeatedly denied any involvement.
More diplomatic fallout as UAE bars Sudanese carriers
Tensions between the United Arab Emirates and Sudan further escalated following an announcement by Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority that Emirati authorities have banned all Sudanese aircraft from landing at UAE airports.
The agency also reported that a Sudanese airliner was recently barred from taking off from Abu Dhabi, signalling a sharp deterioration in aviation ties between the two countries.
According to the Sudan Tribune, staff at Sudanese carriers Badr and Tarco said UAE civil aviation authorities had blocked their flights to and from Dubai and Sharjah without providing any explanation.
The abrupt decision, issued after passengers on a Tarco flight had already completed departure formalities, caused confusion and disruption at Port Sudan airport.
The Sudanese government has expressed surprise at the move and said it is working with airlines to reprogramme flight schedules for passengers travelling to and from the Gulf country.
Although the UAE has not officially linked the flight ban to the Nyala airstrike, the timing and scope of the decision suggest it may be a punitive response, part of the broader and escalating fallout from Sudan’s internal conflict and Khartoum’s repeated accusations that Abu Dhabi is backing the RSF.
