The European Union just took a swing at one of Africa’s most lucrative conflict pipelines. On July 13, the EU Council formally banned the purchase, import, and transfer of gold originating from Sudan, a move designed to choke off revenue streams fueling a civil war that has raged since April 2023.
The sanctions also prohibit the sale and supply of mercury and cyanide to Sudan, two chemicals essential to artisanal and industrial gold mining. The EU isn’t just blocking the gold. It’s trying to make it harder to dig the stuff out of the ground in the first place.
Following the money through the mines
Sudan’s civil war pits the Sudanese Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces, and both sides have been treating gold mines like personal ATMs. The RSF exercises dominant control over key mining sites in Darfur and Kordofan, while the SAF oversees extraction operations in eastern Sudan.
Official Sudanese gold exports in 2024 were valued at roughly $1.59 billion, according to Sudan’s Minerals Resources Company data. Significant gaps between reported gold production and actual exports suggest extensive smuggling networks, with much of the unreported gold flowing toward the United Arab Emirates.
