Sudan’s military rulers and rival paramilitary insurgents are sourcing chemical inputs from companies in Europe, the Middle East and Asia to support domestic mining operations, research claims.
Gold exports have become a crucial revenue stream for the Sudanese Armed Forces, which took control of the country in 2021, as well as the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group that now controls swathes of the country and has been accused by the US government of ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Although western sanctions authorities have targeted gold exports from Sudan, a report published this week by C4ADS – a US-based non-profit organisation focused on illicit networks – highlights the role of imported chemicals used to produce that gold in the first place.
“The mining supply chain begins with the manufacture of mining precursor chemicals such as sodium cyanide and mercury, ordinarily in third-party countries like China or Russia,” it says.
“These chemicals are exported to Sudan, sometimes using transshipment through jurisdictions like the UAE. Once the chemicals are imported into Sudan and are transited to mining sites, they are used in the mining process.”
In the case of the UAE, the report cites Sudanese trade records showing imports of mercury from the country but of undetermined origin.
The UAE is not among the world’s top five producers of mercury, but was the second-largest importer and exporter of the metal in 2023, suggesting it “likely functions as a global transshipment hub”, C4ADS says.
The report also finds that chemical products produced by European companies have been exported to entities owned by or affiliated with the Sudanese government or the Rapid Support Forces.
Trade records show that last year, Czech chemical company Draslovka was named as the consignor of 15 shipments of sodium cyanide to Sudan’s Manub for Mining, an affiliate of state-owned Sudamin, it says.
It adds that UAE-based Rowfer LLC, which is owned by UK company Rowfer Limited, was listed as the notify party on four shipments of sodium cyanide from a Chinese consignor to another Sudamin affiliate.
In a statement included in the report, Rowfer says its exports “go through rigorous licensing and verification processes” and the company does “not deal with… any governmental entity in Sudan”.
Rowfer and Draslovka did not comment when contacted and are not accused of any wrongdoing.
C4ADS says trade records also show numerous shipments of sodium cyanide to Sudanese state-owned or government-affiliated companies from Chinese logistics firms between April and October 2023.
The report says gold mined in Sudan is typically used by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to support their military activities, including by purchasing weapons and drones.
However, it says precursor chemical imports have largely remained “untargeted by enforcement efforts”.
C4ADS adds that mining of other minerals may emerge as a further source of revenue for warring parties in Sudan.
The country is believed to hold reserves of copper, iron, manganese, tungsten and zinc, and produces silver as a byproduct of gold mining, while trade data shows more than 70 cargoes of chrome ore have been shipped from Sudan to China since the start of the conflict.
“Increasing Chinese demand for Sudanese chrome could result in chromium becoming a more stable form of revenue for the Sudanese government than gold,” the report says.
“Effective enforcement measures should target the relevant actors before these resources can be exploited to their fullest potential.”
