Sudan’s air force has destroyed a UAE aircraft carrying Colombian mercenaries as it was landing at an airport in Darfur controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), army-aligned state TV reported.

The attack late on Wednesday killed at least 40 people, the state broadcaster reported. A military source, speaking to the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity, said the Emirati plane “was bombed and completely destroyed” at Darfur’s Nyala airport. There was no immediate comment from the RSF.

AFP quoted an Emirati official denouncing what he considered false allegations that the Sudanese army had destroyed the plane. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said his government was trying to find out how many Colombians died in the attack.

The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has long accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying advanced weaponry, including drones, to the RSF via Nyala Airport.