Need to verify the facts in Sudan
August. A video shows part of a joint military training exercise between the US armed forces and troops from other allied countries such as the UK, Canada, and Estonia near Camp Tapa in Estonia, contrary to claims in online posts that the video showed “Colombian mercenaries” fighting in the city of El Fasher, Sudan, “with support from the United Arab Emirates.”
These posts were circulated after Sudan announced in early August that it had killed Colombian armed men in El Fasher, a city controlled by the Rapid Support Forces, accusing the United Arab Emirates of being involved in the conflict. However, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected in a statement on August 5 the Sudanese government's “accusations” of its involvement “through alleged support for armed groups or elements.”
In another statement emailed to Reuters on August 29, the UAE Foreign Ministry said it supports the Sudanese people in their quest for peace and stability, noting “the increase in false accusations within a systematic campaign by the so-called ‘Port Sudan Authority’... These growing baseless allegations are part of a deliberate approach to evade responsibility and blame others.”
The video shows soldiers entering a military vehicle one after another, inside which a person in uniform fires mortars, and a voice in English is heard saying, “Ready, fire.”
On Facebook, an account shared the video with the description: "Violations by the Yanyauid and attacks on defenseless citizens. Watch the Colombian mercenaries bomb the inhabitants of El Fasher. The Emirates kills Sudanese, the Emirates supports Colombian mercenaries to kill Sudanese..."
However, the video circulating on the internet actually shows part of joint military maneuvers with live fire that brought together forces from four countries in Estonia in July 2025.
The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), part of the U.S. Department of Defense, published the original video on July 29 as part of a longer version. It indicated that it was recorded on July 24 and that units from the U.S. Army and the armed forces of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Estonia participated near Camp Tapa in Estonia.
The website of the U.S. Army V Corps, based in Poland, said in a statement on August 18 that the exercises, conducted from July 21 to 25, included mortar fire and live ammunition to assess the combat readiness of the participating forces.
It can be seen that the uniform of the soldier inside the vehicle and one of the soldiers firing the mortars bears the emblem of the US Army's 3rd Infantry Division, whose soldiers participated in the joint training in Estonia.
On August 16, Sudanese Prime Minister Kamel Idriss called on Colombia in a statement (in Spanish, reviewed by Reuters) to “immediately stop recruiting mercenaries and sending them to Sudan” and to support the Sudanese government. A day later, Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote a message to his compatriots on X: “Do not die in conflicts in foreign countries.”
The Colombian and Sudanese foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
This is not the first time Sudan has accused the UAE of supporting foreign fighters in the country. In May, Sudan said it would cut ties with the Gulf state after accusing Abu Dhabi of supporting the Rapid Support Forces with advanced and strategic weaponry.
Conclusion:
Misleading description. The video shows joint military training with US, UK, Canadian, and Estonian forces in July 2025 in Estonia, not Colombian soldiers fighting in El Fasher, Sudan, in August 2025.
