UK Sanctions Target Sudan’s Gold and Finance Networks to Disrupt War Funding
Britain Imposes Sanctions to Curb Sudan War Financing
Overview of the Sanctions
LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday targeted what it said was illicit gold and finance networks fuelling Sudan's war, imposing sanctions on 11 individuals and entities.
Background of the Sudan Conflict
• The war, which started in 2023 between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces, has displaced millions of people.
Details of the Sanctions Package
Targeted Individuals and Entities
• Britain's latest sanctions package targets an RSF financier it said was suspected of helping fund the group's operations through a network of Dubai-based real estate, gold and holding companies.
• Others sanctioned include RSF-linked procurement operatives and two United Arab Emirates-based companies.
• The package also includes a Hong Kong-based company and three Sudanese state-owned mining companies Britain said were linked to funding the army's war effort.
International Response and Gold Trade
• The European Union also targeted Sudan's gold trade in its sanctions on Monday over the war.
• Official Sudanese gold exports were worth about $1.5 billion in 2024 and 2025, Britain said, estimating that billions of dollars' worth of gold was smuggled abroad each year through illicit channels.
Warnings and Further Actions
• Britain also warned that El Obeid, a strategic city in central Sudan, was at risk of a mass atrocity and called for the U.N. arms embargo to be extended to cover the area.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Muvija M)
