Sudan’s gold industry has become the financial lifeline of its devastating civil war, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the centre of both legal and illicit trade. As reported by AFP, nearly all of Sudan’s gold—whether sold officially or smuggled—ultimately ends up in the UAE, benefiting both the army-backed government and its rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Despite a crumbling economy, Sudan’s military-led administration announced record-breaking gold production in 2024. According to the Sudan Mineral Resources Company (SMRC), output surged to 64 tonnes, up from 41.8 tonnes in 2022. Legal exports injected $1.57bn into government coffers, yet officials admit nearly half of the country’s gold is trafficked across borders.
‘To solve the war in Sudan, we have to follow the gold, and we arrive at the UAE,’ said Marc Ummel, a researcher with Swissaid, an NGO tracking African gold smuggling. Sudanese economist Abdelazim al-Amawy echoed that view, calling the country’s gold wealth ‘a key factor in prolonging the war’.
UAE denies wrongdoing amid surging gold imports
AFP reports that Emirati officials have rejected any ‘baseless and unfounded allegations’ of smuggling or profiting from Sudanese gold. Yet Sudanese government insiders, mining experts, and Swissaid’s research indicate that the UAE receives the bulk of Sudanese gold—either through official sales, smuggling operations, or Emirati ownership of mines within Sudan.
One key example is the Kush mine, located in army-held territory between Khartoum and Port Sudan. Now back in full operation, the mine is owned by Dubai-based Emiral Resources and is said to produce hundreds of kilograms monthly. Emiral lists Kush and its subsidiary, Alliance for Mining, as its major assets in Sudan.
SMRC director Mohammed Taher told AFP that 90 percent of Sudan’s legally exported gold currently heads to the UAE. Nonetheless, Khartoum is considering alternate buyers such as Qatar and Turkey. Still, a vast amount of gold continues to exit illegally through borders with Chad, South Sudan and Egypt—eventually reaching the UAE.
Gold riches fuel both sides of war effort
In RSF-controlled areas like Darfur, gold has long been a major source of income for commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, better known as ‘Hemedti’. Through his family-run company, Al-Junaid Multi Activities Co—sanctioned by the EU and US—he’s built what analysts call a ‘private transnational mercenary enterprise’.
A UN panel of experts found that a network of up to 50 companies tied to Al-Junaid financed Hemedti’s war operations. Former engineers estimate wartime profits at over $1bn per year. One of them told AFP that Darfur’s southern region alone yields 150 kilograms of gold monthly, which is flown out via South Sudan and Uganda, then on to the UAE.
Swissaid’s 2023 data showed that UAE gold imports from Chad exceeded the country’s estimated output by more than twofold—evidence of undeclared Sudanese gold crossing the border. Ummel criticised the UAE’s ‘responsible gold sourcing policy’ as ineffective: ‘If it was really implemented, all refineries would verify the gold was legally declared in its country of origin,’ he said.
Sudan files ICJ case against UAE
Earlier this month, Sudan filed a case against the UAE at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of complicity in genocide committed by the RSF in Darfur. Abu Dhabi dismissed the charge as a ‘publicity stunt’ and vowed to have the case thrown out.
Despite the diplomatic fallout, the UAE continues to dominate the Sudanese gold market. According to Ummel, ‘the UAE is not really implementing their regulation… they don’t carry out all the necessary controls, and at the end they are continuing to fund the war.’ (Africabriefing)
