Internationally fact-checked reports have exonerated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of fuelling Sudan’s conflict by deploying foreign mercenaries.
According to Reuters, viral videos circulating online in August claimed to show fighters from a South American country battling in the Sudanese city of El Fasher with the support of the UAE. The reports confirm these claims are false.
The claims
The videos surfaced after Sudan announced in early August that it had destroyed an Emirati plane carrying Colombian mercenaries, killing at least 40 fighters.
The UAE firmly rejected the allegations, calling them “unfounded” and pointing out that they form part of a pattern of disinformation aimed at deflecting blame.
What the video really shows
The clips in question do not show mercenaries in Sudan but rather part of a joint military training exercise between the U.S. armed forces and European allies in Estonia.
Reuters reports that the original video was released by the U.S. Department of Defense on July 29. Filmed on July 24 near Tapa Camp, Estonia, the exercise included U.S., British, Canadian, and Estonian forces.
According to the US Army’s V Corps, headquartered in Poland, the training took place between July 21 and 25 and involved mortar and live-fire drills designed to test combat readiness.
Notably, the emblem of the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division is visible on the uniforms of participants—including a soldier inside the vehicle and another firing a weapon—confirming their role in the exercise.
Official UAE response
Director of Strategic Communication at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afra Al Hameli, condemned what she called “the falsehoods and lies of the authorities in Sudan.”
She reiterated the UAE’s stance of neutrality and its support for peace, noting that some parties in the conflict are making desperate attempts to “cover up practices, violations, and their direct role in the civil war tearing Sudan apart.”
Context of the conflict
Sudan has repeatedly accused the UAE of backing foreign fighters. Earlier this year, it threatened to cut ties with Abu Dhabi, claiming the Gulf state supplied advanced weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
However, fact-checks confirm that the viral videos are not evidence of foreign mercenary involvement. They instead highlight how misinformation has become another weapon in a war already marked by civilian suffering and stolen childhoods.
Verdict
The claim is false. The videos allegedly showing Colombian mercenaries in Sudan actually document NATO military drills in Estonia in July 2025.
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