Sudan's gold between war and global markets: Sovereignty versus an extractive economy

Written by: Mohammed Omran

With the war in Sudan continuing throughout 2026, the sector remains gold It occupies a central position in explaining the dynamics of conflict and its financing, according to reports issued by international and research organizations, including UN reports and studies by research centers specializing in conflicts and natural resources, which indicate that gold has become one of the most important resources that feed the formal and informal economies in the country.

These reports confirm that Sudan, despite the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation, remains an important player in the regional gold market, with the precious metal continuing to flow through official and unofficial export channels, which are often difficult to track accurately due to the fragility of state institutions and the multiplicity of power centers.

The gold economy at the heart of the war

According to recent reports from international research bodies such as SWISSAID and Chatham House, gold has become Sudan’s most important resource for years after the decline in oil revenues, and with the escalation of armed conflict since April 2023, its importance has doubled as a major source of funding for the warring parties.

These studies indicate that a large part of production depends on traditional (artisanal) mining, a widespread but poorly regulated sector, which opens the door to complex smuggling networks that extend across borders to regional and international markets.

Production and Export Gap

Reports from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other sectoral studies point to a chronic gap between the declared volume of gold production and the volume of official exports, reflecting the large scale of the parallel economy and the weakness of control mechanisms.

These sources also indicate that the absence of a unified national register of operating mines makes it more difficult to track supply chains, and places part of the production outside the formal framework of tax and customs regulation.

Gold and the financing of armed conflict

Research reports from centers such as Chatham House and organizations that track conflicts in Africa agree that control over mining sites and smuggling routes has become one of the main drivers of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

These studies show that gold not only finances the war, but also represents one of its objectives, as control of mines is linked to the economic and military structure of each party, which contributes to prolonging the conflict and complicating the paths to a political solution.

Regional networks and cross-border trade

Reports from SWISSAID and other research platforms indicate that some of Sudan’s gold is smuggled through complex regional networks that extend to markets in the Middle East, including gold trading hubs in the Gulf, where it is re-exported and integrated into global markets.

These reports confirm that weak international tracking mechanisms allow gold from conflict zones to pass through global supply chains without sufficient transparency about its origin.

International law and the limits of sovereignty

From an analytical perspective, recent academic studies link the reality of Sudan to the broader framework of international economic law, noting that the recognition of states’ sovereignty over their resources does not always translate into actual control over those resources, under a global trading system that focuses on free trade and investment protection.

This literature suggests that the current structure reflects an uneven historical extension in the international economic system, where legal sovereignty overlaps with practical constraints on resource management in fragile or conflict-affected states.

Widespread smuggling and continuous flows

According to estimates published in research reports in recent years, large quantities of Sudanese gold are smuggled annually through informal channels, before being reintroduced into global markets within complex supply chains.

Despite varying estimates, most studies agree that a significant portion of the gold trade does not pass through official channels, which reinforces the continuation of the parallel economy linked to the conflict.

International reports indicate that gold in Sudan is no longer merely an economic resource, but has become a structural element in understanding and perpetuating the war, where local, regional, and international interests intersect. While flows to global markets continue, the greatest challenge remains the lack of transparency in supply chains and the international system's ability to regulate the link between resources and armed conflicts.