Somalia confirms flights carry logistics to Sudan war

Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Somalia’s defence minister has publicly confirmed that transport aircraft are flying from the semi-autonomous Puntland state to Sudan. The admission follows reports that the Somalia flights to Sudan are carrying “undisclosed logistics” for Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi told lawmakers on Wednesday it was “true” that planes had flown from Bosaso airport to western Sudan.

The RSF has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023 and faces widespread accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Darfur.

“It is true — and I acknowledge before the senate and the public — that planes have flown from Bosaso, Somalia, to Chad, Niger, and even western Sudan, delivering undisclosed logistics,” Fiqi said in his address.

Fiqi’s comments followed an October 31 report by Middle East Eye (MEE) detailing the logistics operation. The minister also addressed allegations in the report about foreign fighters.

“We have also received reports alleging that Colombian mercenaries were flown from Bosaso, though we have not been able to confirm this,” Fiqi added. MEE said it had obtained exclusive images showing Colombians in Bosaso.

‘Complicity in genocide’

The admission has ignited a political firestorm in Somalia over the flights to Sudan, with prominent figures accusing the government of complicity in atrocities.

Abdisaid Muse Ali, a former Somali foreign affairs minister, wrote Friday that the operation “marks Somalia’s territory as part of a clandestine network sustaining a militia accused of genocide.”

“The federal government’s silence deepens the damage,” Ali wrote in a column. He argued that if Mogadishu authorized the airspace, “then the centre cannot blame the periphery.”

The conflict between Sudan’s military (SAF) and the paramilitary RSF erupted in April 2023. The violence has displaced more than 10 million people, according to the UN.

The RSF, which evolved from the Janjaweed militia, is accused by human rights groups and the United States of committing ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in Darfur, particularly in its assault on el-Fasher.

Prominent Mogadishu scholar Sheikh Ali Wajis accused Puntland’s leadership and the UAE of “dragging Somali people into Sudan’s war.”

The reports also sparked outrage online, with many Sudanese users reminding Somalis that Sudan provided humanitarian and educational support during Somalia’s civil war. They noted that Defence Minister Fiqi himself had received a scholarship from Sudan.

UAE role and Puntland hub

The MEE investigation cited flight data, satellite imagery, and diplomatic sources, identifying the origin of the planes and cargo as the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE has long funded and trained security forces in Puntland, a semi-autonomous state in Somalia that maintains close ties with Abu Dhabi.

A UN Panel of Experts on Sudan has previously identified the UAE as a key military supplier to the RSF, providing drones and other weapons — allegations Abu Dhabi denies.

While Mogadishu’s federal government officially controls Somali airspace, it has no direct authority over Bosaso’s port or airport, which the Puntland state government runs.

The debate in Somalia’s senate underscored these tensions. Some lawmakers defended Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni’s alleged involvement. In contrast, Fiqi cautioned them not to “politicise and ignore the suffering of the Sudanese people blindly by defending others.”

Somalia’s Foreign Affairs Minister met with the Sudanese Ambassador earlier this week to discuss the war, focusing on the dire situation in El-Fasher. It was unclear whether the controversial Somalia flights to Sudan, originating from Bosaso, were discussed during the meeting.