Sudan's civil war has entered a dangerous new phase. While much of the world's attention remains focused on the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the conflict is increasingly being sustained by an underground economy built on looted gold and gum arabic. According to the United Nations, armed groups are using these valuable commodities to finance military operations, prolonging a conflict that has already displaced millions and created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The warning highlights a critical reality about modern conflicts. Wars are no longer financed only through state budgets or foreign military support. Increasingly, they are funded through the exploitation of natural resources, creating economic incentives for violence to continue.

The European Union has banned Sudanese gold imports, stating the multi-billion-dollar trade directly finances the civil war between the SAF and RSF.

Sudan's civil war has entered a dangerous new phase. While much of the world's attention remains focused on the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid…