New Delhi,Nov.08,2025:Sudan once relied heavily on oil. With the split‐off of South Sudan in 2011, the country lost about 75% of its oil reserves and nearly 90% of its foreign-currency income.
In that vacuum, gold emerged as the go-to resource. Now, that rush for gold has morphed into a war economy—a full-scale Sudan gold war.
What is the Sudan gold war
The term “Sudan gold war” refers to how gold has become both the prize and the weapon in Sudan’s three-year civil conflict (which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)).
Where once oil framed the economy, now gold mines, artisanal shafts and smuggling routes frame the battle. As one report puts it:
“Start with gold: it equals guns.”
The war is thus not just over territory. It’s over control of gold resources, mining areas, refining infrastructure and the export routes that convert gold into cash.
How gold mining exploded after oil revenues collapsed
Oil losses and gold gains
When South Sudan separated, Sudan lost its oil backbone. Gold stepped in. According to research-
“Sudan’s reliance on gold as a primary foreign currency source became crucial after losing oil revenues following South Sudan’s separation in 2011.”
Rise of artisanal mining
With formal jobs evaporating, many Sudanese turned to informal gold-mining. The mining boom spread across at least 14 states. These mines are often “wild west” style: small-scale, unsafe, extractive—and under the thumb of armed entities.
Mining becomes militarised
Control of mines shifted to companies and paramilitary groups: research shows a link between RSF and mining concessions in areas like Al-Radom in Darfur.
To quote:
“Both conflict parties … have turned their focus to gold production.”
Army, RSF, foreign powers
The Army (SAF)
The SAF holds parts of Sudan and controls some mining through the state-owned Sudanese Mineral Resources Company (SMRC). This entity oversees operations in government-held zones to generate revenue.
The RSF
The RSF, a powerful paramilitary organisation originally rooted in the Janjaweed militia of Darfur, has seized key mines and mining infrastructure. One investigation finds:
“Gold production in western RSF-controlled areas … the bulk of these operations … export the final product to their primary financiers, the United Arab Emirates.”
UAE, Egypt, Russia, China
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the major export destination for Sudan’s gold. Researchers estimate “nearly all of the gold trade” passes through the UAE.
- Egypt has emerged as a secondary smuggling hub. Unofficial exports via Egypt may account for 60% of production in northern states.
- Russia and China are also involved—Russia in particular gaining mining concessions, seeking barter deals.
Smuggling routes and complicity
The scale of smuggling
While official gold output is reported, the real numbers are far higher due to smuggling. A UN estimate places 100 kg of gold leaving Sudan daily through unofficial routes; some 60 tonnes since April 2023.
How the routes work
- Mines under RSF control extract gold.
- The gold is sold or transported via neighbouring countries (Egypt, Chad, UAE) and converted into hard currency/arms.
- Some foreign firms provide logistics, refining or chemical inputs. For instance, Sudan imports cyanide and mercury for mining from Europe, Middle East and Asia.
Who benefits
- Armed groups: Gold funds weapons, drones, salaries.
- Foreign investors: Cheap access to gold deposits in conflict zones.
- Local elites: Mining licences, control of processing plants, refining and export gates.
Environmental and human toll
Deaths and disasters
In June 2025, eleven miners died and seven were injured in a mine collapse in the Red Sea state. The shaft was artisanal, unsafe, and mining resumed despite warnings.
Health and environmental damage
- Artisanal mining heavily uses cyanide and mercury, leading to soil contamination, water pollution and serious health risks.
- Farming communities report their lands spoiled, groundwater poisoned, and the precious Nile River threatened.
Social impact
- Millions of people are displaced; many lose farmland and livelihoods because mines take precedence over agriculture.
- Mining zones become war zones: looting, forced labour, labour-abuse rampant.
Regional and global implications
Africa’s changing gold map
Sudan is now among Africa’s top gold producers, behind only Ghana and South Africa. Mining has become a major export driver—though the revenues are deeply unequal and intertwined with conflict.
Proxy warfare and global arms flows
The Sudan gold war is not isolated. UAE, Russia and China see Sudan as a strategic site for resource access. Gold sold in exchange for arms, drones and services. Smuggling passes through border states, drawing in countries like Chad and Eritrea.
Impacts on international supply chains
Gold from Sudan enters global markets, often laundered through Dubai. This poses risks to companies under conflict-minerals laws and global efforts to make supply chains ethical.
Can peace return if the gold stops flowing
weakening war machine
One potential peace lever is to choke the revenue streams of warlords and armed factions. Without gold, the war economy loses fuel.
Challenges are enormous
- Mines are remote, control is fragmented.
- Smuggling routes pass through multiple countries.
- Victims are local workers, communities with little voice.
- International actors have incentive to keep flow going.
What would a responsible future look like
- Transparent mining licences and exports.
- Environmental remediation and safe labour standards.
- Redirecting gold revenues into reconstruction and civilian development.
- International oversight on gold purity, origin and supply chain traceability.
The Sudan gold war is a tragic irony: a country blessed with gold, yet cursed by it. Gold was meant to be a lifeline after oil, but instead has become a bullet-point in the war budget. The Sudan gold war shows how natural resources can fuel conflict rather than prosperity.
Unless the gold mining-smuggling-weapon pipeline is broken, millions will continue to suffer—miners crushed in collapsing shafts, farmers poisoned, children recruited, and a nation torn apart by stakes far higher than mere land or politics.
