Looted gold and gum arabic are bankrolling Sudan's war, UN warns

The United Nations human rights office has issued a stark warning that looted gold and gum arabic are fueling Sudan’s ongoing conflict, providing financial support to warring factions and exacerbating human rights violations. In an alert released on Wednesday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) detailed how the country’s natural resources, particularly gum arabic, are being systematically exploited by armed groups to sustain the war effort. The report highlights the severe consequences of this exploitation, including widespread abuse, displacement, and economic instability across the region. The conflict, which began in April 2023 after the collapse of Sudan’s transitional government, has led to the militarization of key economic sectors. Gum arabic, a valuable commodity derived from acacia trees, plays a critical role in global markets, particularly in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics industries. Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, Sudan supplied around 70 to 80 percent of the world’s gum arabic exports, generating annual revenues of up to $183 million. However, the war has disrupted normal trade patterns, forcing warring parties to seize control of the resource and redirect it through alternative routes to fund their operations. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group aligned with former President Omar al-Bashir, have been accused of looting gum arabic supplies from strategic locations such as El-Nuhud in West Kordofan. According to the OHCHR report, these stolen goods are being funneled westward toward Darfur and Chad, and further south into South Sudan, Kenya, and beyond. This illicit trade has created a dangerous network of smuggling routes stretching across multiple countries, including Chad, South Sudan, Kenya, Libya, and Egypt. These routes allow the conflict to persist by enabling the flow of both illicit funds and weapons. The impact on local communities has been devastating. Approximately five million Sudanese rely on gum arabic as a vital source of income, primarily through small-scale harvesting and trade. Yet, the conflict has turned this livelihood into a battleground. Traders operating in areas controlled by the RSF or other militant groups face threats, arbitrary detention, and forced labor. Many have been subjected to extortion and informal taxes, while others have had their goods confiscated or destroyed. The OHCHR report documents numerous cases of violence against traders, highlighting the broader human rights crisis unfolding in the region. The situation has worsened since early 2024, when the RSF allegedly looted over 3,700 tonnes of gum arabic from warehouses in West Kordofan and Darfur. These stolen commodities were reportedly used to compensate fighters in the absence of regular wages, effectively turning the resource into a tool of coercion and warfare. In response, some traders have sought safer alternatives, rerouting their goods through northern and eastern Sudan toward Port Sudan and the Northern state. Others have turned to alternative export points, such as the border with Chad and Cameroon, where gum arabic is often relabeled before being sent abroad. Despite the chaos, Sudan remains a significant supplier of gum arabic globally. Even amid the conflict and rising human rights concerns, the country continues to contribute a substantial portion of the world’s supply. This underscores the urgent need for international intervention to disrupt the war economy and protect vulnerable populations. The OHCHR has called for greater scrutiny of the commodities and trade networks that sustain the conflict, urging the global community to take action against the exploitation of Sudan’s natural resources.