Fact check: Video shows joint military exercise in Estonia—not Colombian mercenaries fighting in Sudan

A viral video clip actually shows part of a joint live-ammunition military exercise conducted by the U.S. armed forces and troops from several European countries in Estonia—contrary to online posts claiming it depicts “Colombian mercenaries” fighting in Al-Fashir, Sudan, “with support from the UAE.”

The posts began circulating after Sudan claimed in early August that it had killed Colombian fighters in Al-Fashir, a city controlled by the Rapid Support Forces, and accused the UAE of involvement in the conflict.

In response, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on August 5. 2025 rejecting those Sudanese allegations that it had supported any armed groups.

In a formal statement to Reuters by email on August 29, the UAE foreign ministry said it supports the Sudanese people’s pursuit of peace and stability, and described the mounting allegations as “false claims as part of a systematic campaign by what is known as the ‘Port Sudan authority.’ … These baseless claims are part of a deliberate approach to evade responsibility and shift blame to others.”

The video shows soldiers boarding one by one into a military vehicle in which a person wearing military fatigues fires ordnance. The individual inside can be heard saying “Ready, fire” in English.

A Facebook account shared this video with a caption reading: “The Janjaweed violations and assault on unarmed citizens. Watch how the Colombian mercenaries throw [explosives] at the people of Al-Fashir. The UAE is killing Sudanese, the UAE is supporting Colombian mercenaries to kill the Sudanese.”

In fact, the circulating video is part of a live-fire exercise conducted in Estonia in July 2025. The original, longer clip was released on July 29 by the U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), which said it was filmed on July 24 near Tapa Camp, Estonia, and featured U.S., British, Canadian, and Estonian military units.

According to a statement published on August 18 by the U.S. Fifth Corps (V Corps) based in Poland, the exercises took place from July 21-25 and included mortar and live-ammunition fire to assess the combat readiness of participating units.

Additionally, the military uniform of the person inside the vehicle—as well as one of the soldiers firing the ordnance—bears the insignia of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, which did take part in these joint Estonia-based drills.

On August 16, Sudanese Prime Minister Kamel Idris—speaking in Spanish in a statement reviewed by Reuters—called on Colombia to “immediately halt the recruitment and deployment of mercenaries in Sudan” and to side with the Sudanese government.

The following day, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), addressed Colombians: “Do not die in foreign conflicts.”

Reuters contacted the Colombian and Sudanese foreign ministries, but neither responded to requests for comment.

This is not the first time Sudan has accused the UAE of supporting foreign fighters. In May, Sudan said it would cut ties with the Gulf state after accusing Abu Dhabi of supplying advanced and strategic weaponry to the Rapid Support Forces.