Sudan's army has detained Ukrainian snipers and instructors training rebel forces in the African country, says Sudan’s foreign minister. 

Sudan’s regular army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), detained and killed several Ukrainian nationals who were allegedly serving as snipers and military instructors alongside the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan’s Foreign Minister Muhieddin Salem said on Friday.

Muhieddin Salem told the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that some of the Ukrainian forces had been captured, while others were killed during fighting. He also said Sudanese forces had seized weapons from them.

“Some snipers and instructors, who are citizens of Ukraine, were detained; others were killed. We also have a certain number of seized weapons,” Salem said.

The minister further said that Ukrainian instructors had been helping RSF fighters operate drones for attacks on civilian targets. He said the instructors were linked to forces loyal to RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known by his nom de guerre, Hemedti.

The SAF and RSF have been locked in a nationwide war since April 2023, when tensions between the two former allies erupted into open conflict. Since then, the fighting has spread across Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan and other parts of the country, producing one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world.

UN officials have documented allegations against the RSF and allied militias in Darfur, including killings, sexual violence, forced displacement, looting and attacks on civilian neighborhoods and humanitarian facilities.

UN reports say RSF crimes in Sudan supported by some regional states

The RSF militia’s war against Sudan’s government enters its fourth year.

In January, the UN’s independent fact-finding mission for Sudan said the RSF and its allies had committed acts that may amount to crimes against humanity, including persecution, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence.

The UN mission also warned that civilians had been deliberately targeted in several areas.

‘Shocking in scale and brutality’: UN warns of Sudanese paramilitary war crimes in El Fasher

Paramilitary forces in Sudan have unleashed “a wave of intense violence…shocking in its scale and brutality” during their final offensive to capture the besieged city of El Fasher, UN says.

Meanwhile, the ongoing war has killed and wounded large numbers of people, although the death toll remains difficult to establish because access to affected areas is severely restricted.

Also, millions have been forced from their homes, with many fleeing to neighboring Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

The United Nations has warned that famine, disease and the collapse of health services are placing additional pressure on civilians. Neither side has achieved a decisive victory, and diplomatic efforts to secure lasting peace in the African country have repeatedly stalled.