Since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), social media platforms and political discourse have been flooded with conflicting claims about civilian casualties, territorial control, humanitarian access, and foreign involvement.
Misinformation has spread rapidly, particularly in the final months of the year, following the RSF’s expansion into new areas, including parts of Darfur, which had been among the army’s last strongholds.
These developments coincided with a deepening humanitarian catastrophe, further amplifying misleading narratives and videos.
Misbar fact-checked a wide range of misleading claims related to Sudan’s war, displacement crisis, and foreign involvement.
This blog highlights the most significant claims fact-checked by the team in 2025 and explains what the available evidence actually shows.
Flooded Displacement Camps in Sudan Mistaken for Gaza
Sudan remains at the center of one of the world’s most complex and underreported crises. At the beginning of the year, the Sudan crisis was not receiving the attention it needed, overshadowed by the widespread atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza, despite similar atrocities occurring in Sudan.
In some cases, users unintentionally shared footage from Sudan, misattributing it to Gaza.
One notable instance occurred in January 2025, when social media users and foreign news outlets widely shared a photo purportedly showing makeshift shelters for displaced Palestinian families flooded during heavy rain amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.
After conducting a thorough reverse image search, Misbar’s team found that the photo was actually from Sudan, not Gaza. A local news outlet had uploaded the photo on July 26, 2024, showing rainwater flooding tents in displacement centers in Kassala, a Sudanese city hosting tens of thousands displaced by the war.
The Sudanese Ministry of Health confirmed the deaths of 12 people due to torrential rains in late July 2024 in Sudan’s eastern states, particularly in Kassala, where heavy rains swept through internally displaced persons’ tents in industrial camps.
Sudan experiences annual waves of floods and torrential rains from June to October due to seasonal rainfall. These rains further intensify the hardships of citizens already enduring the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, ongoing since mid-April 2023.
Fake Images Spread After Alleged Sudanese Air Force Attack on UAE Plane
In August, social media users circulated misleading and fake images, claiming that Sudan’s Air Force had destroyed an Emirati aircraft carrying Colombian mercenaries as it landed at Darfur’s Nyala Airport, killing at least 40.
Despite Abu Dhabi denying that its plane was attacked, social media users continued to circulate misleading images claiming to show the aftermath of the incident.
One widely shared photo had been published by AFP on May 6, 2025, showing the aftermath of an Israeli attack on Sanaa Airport in Yemen, but users falsely claimed it was related to Sudan.
Another photo, claimed to show a plane crash with smoke rising and the Emirati flag visible on its tail, was traced back to a Dubai plane crash-landing at Dubai International Airport on August 3, 2016.
Users also posted several images they claimed depicted the aftermath of the Sudanese army’s attack on the plane; however, these were found to be AI-generated.
Tracing the Routes of Colombian Mercenaries Supporting the RSF
An in-depth investigation was published tracing the routes used to supply Colombian mercenaries to Sudan, shedding light on how these fighters were recruited and transported through multiple transit countries before reaching the conflict zone.
The investigation relied on official Sudanese statements, open-source material circulating online, and reporting from Colombian media outlets.
Misbar revealed that Colombian mercenaries fighting alongside the RSF were transported to Sudan through a multistage route involving several transit countries.
Many of the fighters departed from Colombia and traveled to the United Arab Emirates, often via European transit points.
From there, they were moved to eastern Libya, particularly the Benghazi area and the Al Jawf region near the tri-border area between Libya, Sudan, and Egypt.
Using geolocation analysis of videos and documents circulating on social media, Misbar identified this corridor—long known for smuggling activity—as a key route through which foreign fighters were transferred into Sudan, where they later participated in RSF operations.
Colombian media investigations further linked the recruitment process to the company International Services Agency S.A.S., known as A4SI.
According to reporting by Semana magazine, sources stated that the company made misleading job promises, concealing both the recruits’ true destinations and the conditions they would face. Similar testimonies were documented by La Silla Vacía, citing employees who said they were pressured to travel to Sudan via Libya.
Testimonies from Colombian mercenaries show that some recruits only learned they were being sent to Libya after arriving in Abu Dhabi, where they discovered that their work would not take place in the UAE, as initially promised.
UAE Used Fake Accounts To Mask RSF Involvement
In late 2025, Misbar exposed a coordinated disinformation campaign allegedly run by the UAE, which used stolen images of Somali women and influencers to spread content favorable to the country and the RSF in Sudan.
Misbar’s report relied on an investigation by Somali activist @Deeqa, as well as a BBC investigation, which revealed that multiple fake accounts on X, Facebook, and TikTok used a mix of real and AI-generated images to post coordinated, multilingual content.
The campaign portrayed the UAE as a benevolent actor in Somalia while attacking groups such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. The BBC found that from January 2023 to September 2025, these accounts produced more than 47,000 posts, reaching an audience of over 215 million users. Around 40% of the posts focused directly on praising Somalia and its government, highlighting UAE support.
At the same time, the network spread posts alleging that the Sudanese army had carried out a massacre in the city of Al Obeid, whereas major international media outlets and Sudan’s Beam Reports found no verified evidence of such an incident.
The BBC concluded that the network was designed to manipulate online discourse and obscure the UAE’s role in backing the RSF.
Outdated Videos Circulated After Darfur Fall
After the fall of Darfur into the hands of the RSF in early November 2025, and following reports of atrocities committed by the RSF, a wave of outdated videos from Sudan resurfaced.
Social media users widely circulated a satellite image purportedly showing El Fasher, claiming that the blood of Sudanese victims appeared to mix with the sand.
However, Misbar’s team traced the image to its original source on the AFP Forum, which confirmed that it was shot on April 16, 2025, at the Zamzam camp in the besieged Darfur region of El Fasher, Sudan.
Users also circulated a video showing a mother reacting in fear to gunfire while holding two children in her arms, with another child beside her.
The video circulated with claims that RSF members were terrorizing the woman and her children, with some even suggesting the video was published by RSF members themselves.
Misbar’s investigation found that the video was actually published on TikTok on September 12, over two months before the RSF’s capture of El Fasher.
Another video showing armed fighters in military vehicles advancing through the desert was shared online, with claims that it depicted RSF units and their allies moving toward Babanusa in West Kordofan to attack the Sudanese army’s 22nd Division Headquarters.
Using reverse image searches, Misbar confirmed that the video is at least one month old and does not show RSF fighters or their allies moving toward Babanusa.
A Wave of AI-Generated Videos Surges Amid Sudan War
During the same period, a surge of AI-generated videos emerged, following reports that thousands were feared killed in El Fasher.
Social media users across multiple platforms shared a video depicting a woman amidst ruins, holding two children and crying for help. Other users circulated a video purportedly showing a young girl from Sudan calling on Muslims and Arabs for assistance.
Suspicion that these videos were fake led Misbar to investigate accounts on Instagram and TikTok that frequently share AI-generated content.
An Instagram account, @unitedhumanity786, had shared this video along with other similar clips in the same format and style.
On TikTok, @ice.cream085 is known for posting AI-generated videos, with a library of over 140 previously published clips and a total of more than 9.4 million likes.
The account shared unrealistic videos featuring toddlers and cats in unusual situations, before it shifted focus to content imitating real-life scenes from Sudan, posting 21 videos showing children crying for food, women holding their children in tears, or older women pleading for help.
Further research identified another TikTok account, @cartoon.style5, which has shared nearly 136 videos, mostly AI-generated, accumulating 1.5 million likes. The account’s description mentions “AI” and features videos that turn unrealistic or animated scenes into lifelike situations. Most of the content relates to the war in Gaza, with around 37 videos depicting events in Sudan.
Videos Misrepresented as Sudanese Atrocities
In addition to outdated and AI-generated content, several videos originating from outside Sudan were circulated on social media as if they depicted atrocities in the country.
Social media users circulated a video showing a tied man with a bare torso falling into a grave, claiming it was from Sudan.
Misbar investigated the viral claim and found it misleading: the video actually shows a Nigerian man showcasing his strength and is unrelated to Sudan.
Another video claimed to show a Sudanese youth being buried alive in a coffin, wailing as one man pushes a lid over his head.
Reverse image searches traced the video to a YouTube upload by CGTN America on November 18, 2016, titled “White South African men force a black man into a coffin.”
In that case, two white men in South Africa were charged with assault after footage surfaced showing them forcing a black man into a coffin and threatening to set it on fire.
Social media users also circulated a video of a tied-up young man reciting the Shahada, claiming it depicted a recent scene of torture in Sudan.
Misbar traced the video to a November 2024 upload by the YouTube channel “nukhbeh post.” The video actually shows Chadian army personnel interrogating a young man accused of Boko Haram affiliation; he was later released after no evidence was found against him.
Did the Houthis Threaten To Target the UAE Following the Sudan Escalation?
Following the escalation of the conflict in Sudan, social media users recently circulated claims that the Houthi movement had warned it would strike the Burj Khalifa and major cities in the United Arab Emirates in response to the war in Sudan.
Misbar’s investigation found these claims to be false. No official Houthi statement or credible reporting supports the allegation that the group issued any threat against the UAE related to the Sudan conflict.
Investigations into the sources of these posts indicate that the claims were amplified through misattributed statements and rumors, often originating from unverified social media accounts.
It is worth noting that the Houthis have targeted commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and launched missile and drone attacks toward Israel since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.
In response, Israel has carried out repeated strikes inside Yemen, hitting civilian areas and infrastructure, including residential sites and the country’s main international airport, killing dozens in single attacks.
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