Sudanese government officials have accused the Puntland administration of sending mercenaries to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Lieutenant General Yasser al-Atta, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, alleged that Puntland has dispatched mercenary troops to Sudan to align themselves with the RSF forces currently battling the Sudanese government military.
Al-Atta included Puntland among various countries and regions that he claims are sending foreign fighters to Sudan. He placed the responsibility for this on the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
He stated that fighters have been brought in from countries including Chad, Libya, Niger, and nations in West Africa, while tens of thousands of others, he claimed, arrived from South Sudan. He also mentioned Ethiopia, Puntland, and Colombia.
This is not the first time Al-Atta has included Somalia among the places he accuses of sending fighters to the RSF. In November 2025, he also accused the UAE of bringing in fighters from countries such as Colombia, Ukraine, Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Niger, and Somalia. The name Puntland has previously appeared in international reports concerning the war in Sudan, specifically in relation to the city of Bosaso.
In 2025, Sudan submitted a report to the United Nations Security Council stating that mercenaries from Colombia were flown from the United Arab Emirates to Bosaso, and subsequently transported to Sudan.
These allegations emerge at a time when relations between the Federal Government of Somalia and the United Arab Emirates have deteriorated.
In January 2026, the Council of Ministers of Somalia decided to annul the agreements Somalia had with the United Arab Emirates, including those concerning the port of Bosaso and cooperation in the areas of security and defense.
