A viral video circulating on social media claiming to show “Colombian mercenaries” fighting in Sudan is misleading. The footage actually comes from a joint live-ammunition military exercise conducted in Estonia in July 2025, featuring U.S., British, Canadian, and Estonian forces.
The clip, widely shared on Facebook and other platforms, shows soldiers boarding a military vehicle where a uniformed individual fires ordnance after calling out “Ready, fire” in English. Posts accompanying the video alleged that these were Colombian fighters recruited by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to back the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Al-Fashir, Sudan.
These claims surfaced after Sudanese authorities announced in early August that they had killed Colombian fighters in Al-Fashir and accused the UAE of sponsoring their deployment. On August 5, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the allegations, calling them “false claims” aimed at deflecting blame.
Reuters fact-checking traced the original video to the U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), which released the full version on July 29. According to DVIDS, the clip was filmed on July 24 near Tapa Camp, Estonia, during multinational live-fire exercises held from July 21–25. The U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, whose insignia is visible in the video, participated in the drills. The U.S. Fifth Corps, based in Poland, confirmed the exercises included mortar and live-ammunition fire to evaluate combat readiness.
Despite these verifiable details, the footage has been co-opted into Sudan’s information war. On August 16, Sudanese Prime Minister Kamel Idris urged Colombia, in a Spanish-language statement, to stop “recruiting and deploying mercenaries” in Sudan. Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded the next day with a message on X (formerly Twitter), warning his citizens: “Do not die in foreign conflicts.”
Neither the Colombian nor Sudanese foreign ministries have issued further clarifications. However, the misleading use of the Estonia exercise video underscores the growing role of misinformation in the Sudan conflict.
This is not the first time Sudan has accused the UAE of meddling. In May, Khartoum said it would sever ties with Abu Dhabi after alleging the Gulf state supplied weapons to the RSF.
Verdict: Misleading. The viral video does not depict mercenaries in Sudan but NATO-led training in Estonia.
