The measures target one of the more tangible funding channels in the Sudan conflict, since gold smuggling has become a major revenue source for the warring parties as the country’s formal economy has collapsed. Closing the direct import route and restricting the chemicals used in extraction, along with efforts to block gold reaching the EU via third countries, aims at both ends of the supply chain rather than just the point of sale. The more notable market and diplomatic angle is what the EU chose not to do, stopping short of sanctioning any UAE linked entities despite accusations from rights groups that Gulf backing has helped sustain the RSF, a restraint that will likely be read as Brussels weighing its wider relationship with Abu Dhabi against the pressure to act on Sudan specifically.
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Brussels went after Sudan’s gold, but not the foreign backers accused of arming its war.
Summary:
- The EU banned the purchase, import or transfer of gold originating in Sudan, and banned the sale, supply, transfer or export of mercury and cyanide, chemicals widely used in gold mining, to the country
- The measures, based on a Dutch French initiative, also aim to restrict Sudan’s ability to route gold into the EU via other countries
- The Council of the EU said gold has become a major source of revenue sustaining the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023
- Sudan is effectively partitioned, with the SAF controlling Khartoum and the northeastern port city of Port Sudan, and the RSF controlling Darfur and most of the country’s west
- The new measures build on an EU sanctions framework in place since October 2023, which has been expanded several times and now covers 18 individuals and 8 entities, and extends the regime to October 2026
- The EU is the largest humanitarian donor to Sudan, having allocated close to 600 million euros to the country since 2023 and pledged a further 812 million euros in April at an international conference in Berlin
The European Union imposed new sanctions on Sudan’s gold trade on Monday, banning imports of gold originating in the country and restricting exports of chemicals used in mining, in its latest attempt to choke off financing for a civil war now entering its fourth year. The measures, greenlit by foreign ministers in Brussels and based on a Dutch French initiative, ban the purchase, import or transfer of Sudanese gold and the sale, supply, transfer or export of mercury and cyanide to Sudan, according to the Council of the EU. The rules also aim to close off routes for Sudanese gold to reach the bloc indirectly through third countries.
The war has pitted the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, since fighting broke out in April 2023. The conflict has displaced millions of people and effectively split the country in two, with the SAF holding the capital Khartoum and the northeastern port city of Port Sudan, while the RSF controls Darfur and most of western Sudan. Illicit gold smuggling has emerged as one of the principal sources of funding sustaining both sides, making Monday’s measures a direct attempt to target the war’s economic base rather than only its combatants.
The new gold and chemicals ban builds on a broader EU sanctions framework first established in October 2023, which has been expanded through several rounds of listings targeting individuals and entities accused of fuelling the conflict or undermining Sudan’s political transition, and now covers 18 individuals and 8 entities, with the regime extended to October 2026. Notably, the EU stopped short of sanctioning any entities linked to the United Arab Emirates, despite accusations from rights groups that Gulf backing has helped arm and finance the RSF, a step some had pushed for but which Brussels avoided in this package.
Alongside the sanctions, the EU remains the largest humanitarian donor to the crisis, having allocated close to 600 million euros directly to Sudan since 2023 and close to a billion euros when aid to neighbouring countries affected by the spillover, including Chad, South Sudan and Egypt, is included. At an international conference in Berlin in April, the bloc and its member states pledged a further 812 million euros to address the deepening humanitarian emergency, even as the underlying conflict shows no sign of resolution.
This article was written by fl6553e4b45d84486a91658a8b3f02bf22 at investinglive.com.
