The Role of Gold and Resources
How gold mining, oil revenues, and control of agricultural land fuel Sudan's conflicts and fund its warring parties.
Sudan's Gold Rush
Sudan is Africa's third-largest gold producer, and gold has become the single most important resource fueling its conflicts. After South Sudan's secession in 2011 took roughly 75% of unified Sudan's oil revenues, gold became the Khartoum government's primary source of hard currency. By 2021, Sudan was officially exporting over $2 billion in gold annually — and the true figure, including smuggled gold, was likely far higher.
The RSF controls much of Sudan's artisanal gold mining, particularly in Darfur and along the border with Chad and Libya. Hemedti built his power base partly through gold. His family controls the al-Junaid mining company, and the RSF taxes artisanal miners, operates its own mines, and controls smuggling routes to the UAE through which Sudanese gold is laundered and enters global markets. Investigations by the UN Panel of Experts and journalists have documented how Sudanese gold flows through Dubai, often with falsified certificates of origin.