Details of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine operation in Sudan have been reported
7 March, 2024 Ukrainian special forces during the battles with the PMC Wagner mercenaries in Sudan. Photo credits: Kyiv Post Details of a number of operations and goals of the Ukrainian units of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine in Sudan have been disclosed.
The Wall Street Journal reported on this. According to journalists, the country's ruler, Lt. Gen.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who was in a dangerous situation due to the superior forces of the Rapid Response Forces supported by Russia, asked Ukraine for support. The first group of 100 Ukrainian soldiers arrived in Sudan on a chartered plane in mid-August last year. It consisted mainly of soldiers of the Tymur unit of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.
The first task of the intelligence officers was to help evacuate Abdel Fattah al-Burhan from the capital, Khartoum, which was surrounded by the Rapid Response Forces. After being taken to the location of Ukrainian soldiers, the Sudanese leader almost immediately traveled to government-controlled Port Sudan, from where he would soon travel to Ireland to meet with President Zelensky.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, September 23, 2023.
Countering insurgency
After the successful evacuation of the country's leader from the besieged capital, the soldiers of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine focused on pushing out the rebels supported by the Russian Wagner PMC from the capital. A 30-year-old DIU officer known as "King," who led a group in Sudan, spoke about the strong differences between the Russian-Ukrainian war and the local conflict.
According to him, soldiers from both sides fought in sandals and fired at the enemy while holding their weapons above their heads. A large part of the Sudanese army was unmotivated and had not been paid for months. Soldiers did not wear insignia, which constantly led to losses due to friendly fire.
Taking advantage of the poor equipment of the "pro-Wagner" rebels, the Ukrainian military focused on night operations using night vision devices and night drones. The intelligence officers went on missions at dusk around 8:00 p.m., traveling in vans and moving in several groups of six soldiers each. All operations were completed before dawn so they could return unnoticed at night.
In November last year, a rotation took place: King's group was replaced by a new one of the Tymur unit, which was now headed by an intelligence officer with the call sign Prada. The new group captured a Russian fighter of the Wagner PMC and killed two others during fighting in the city of Omdurman, which borders the capital.
In addition to them, the Prada's group also killed a dozen Sudanese fighters and captured two more wearing Russian military company patches.
A captured fighter of the Wagner PMC and a Ukrainian soldier of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. Sudan. Frame from the Kyiv Post video
According to the reconnaissance group's commander, these Sudanese fighters worked as mercenaries and were controlled by representatives of the Russian Wagner PMC.
"Wagner PMC has become like a franchise in Sudan. They fight with the help of locals. They give them stripes, pay them a salary, and say: "Now you are a fighter of the Wagner PMC." Our goal was never to pursue individual soldiers of the Wagner PMC.
The task was to disrupt Russian interests in Sudan," an intelligence officer with the call sign Prada said. A 28-year-old soldier of the Tymur unit told the newspaper that his unit's work was focused on cutting off Sudanese rebel logistics and mining the routes to Khartoum. During one operation, they mined a truck that broke down in the middle of the road.
"The next morning, when an enemy pickup truck full of infantry and weapons drove up, we blew it up," he said. According to journalists, the group under Prada's command returned to Ukraine earlier this year.
It is noted that none of its soldiers were injured. The importance of supporting the local government in Sudan and countering Russian-backed forces cannot be overstated. The country remains an important source of revenue for Russia due to its gold deposits.
It has large stockpiles of Russian, Soviet, Chinese, and American weapons that could be transferred to Ukraine.
Ukraine supports Sudan not only with its military contingent - in February, a shipment of wheat flour arrived in Port Sudan.