Record-high gold prices are fuelling a surge in mining in Sudan, unlocking a crucial source of revenue for the country’s warring parties and allowing them to finance the conflict.
The country’s gold mining industry last year reached its highest output in six years, with swelling numbers of artisanal miners and readily available imported mining chemicals all contributing to the increase, according to two new reports.
Gold production in Sudan reached about 80 tonnes last year, according to estimates from Swissaid, worth more than $6bn and making the country one of the top four gold producers in Africa. More than half the gold is smuggled, according to the report, much of it to countries including the United Arab Emirates and Russia.