A viral clip claiming to show “Colombian mercenaries” shelling civilians in El Fasher, Sudan—allegedly with UAE backing—actually depicts a live-fire training exercise in Estonia involving U.S., British, Canadian and Estonian troops in July 2025, according to a Reuters fact-check.
The footage shows soldiers boarding an armored vehicle as a uniformed service member inside calls “Ready, fire!” in English. The original, longer video was published by the U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) on July 29, stating it was filmed July 24 near Tapa Camp, Estonia. U.S. Army V Corps later said the July 21–25 drills included mortar and live-fire events to assess readiness. Patches visible on the uniforms match the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, which took part in the exercise.
The clip spread after Sudan’s Port Sudan-based SAF junta said in early August they had killed Colombian fighters in RSF-controlled El Fasher and accused the UAE of involvement. The UAE Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations on Aug. 5 and, in a statement to Reuters on Aug. 29, said it supports peace and stability for the Sudanese people while decrying what it called a coordinated campaign of false claims by the “Port Sudan authority.”
Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris, in a Spanish-language appeal on Aug. 16 reviewed by Reuters, urged Colombia to halt the recruitment and deployment of mercenaries to Sudan. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro posted the next day on X, warning Colombians not to die in foreign wars.
The foreign ministries of Colombia and Sudan did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
