UK sanctions Sudan gold and finance networks funding war

Britain announced sanctions on 11 individuals and entities accused of supporting the Sudanese civil war through illicit gold trading and financial networks. The measures target a web of companies and persons operating in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, as well as two Sudanese state‑owned mining firms and the Ariab Mining Company, which were alleged to channel conflict gold revenues to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The UK said the gold trade, worth about $1.5 billion in official exports for 2024‑25 and with billions more smuggled annually, has become a key source of funding for weapons procurement and military operations. The sanctions follow an EU ban on Sudan‑origin gold and a United Nations warning that the rival factions profit from a “war economy.” Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that the city of El Obeid faces a rising risk of mass atrocities and called for the UN arms embargo to be expanded to the area.