US senators are calling on Biden to step up measures on foreign financing of the Sudan conflict

December 17, 2024 (WASHINGTON) – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has called on President Joe Biden to take stronger action against foreign companies fueling Sudan’s ongoing civil war, citing the role of the illicit gold trade in financing the conflict.

In a letter to Biden, Senators Mark Warner, Jim Risch, Chris Coons, Todd Young, Cory Booker and Mike Rounds expressed deep concern about the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, where there is fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces Kam (RSF) has been raging since April 2023. The conflict has reportedly killed tens of thousands, possibly more than 100,000 people, and left more than 25 million people in need of aid.

The senators highlighted reports that foreign companies, including in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia, are providing weapons and financial support to warring parties. They particularly focused on the role of the illegal gold trade in Sudan.

“We are deeply concerned that the illegal gold trade in Sudan provides lucrative revenue streams that perpetuate documented atrocities and worsen the devastating humanitarian crisis in the country,” the senators wrote.

Sudan, a major African gold producer, has a multi-billion dollar gold industry. The RSF controls important gold mines, including those in Jebel Amir. The senators noted that the RSF and its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have gained dominance over Sudan’s gold trade by using “front companies and banks based in Sudan and the United Arab Emirates” to finance weapons and other activities .

The senators pointed to the United Arab Emirates as a key hub for smuggled Sudanese gold entering global markets, pointing to reports that Emirati companies received over 2,500 tonnes of illicit African gold between 2012 and 2022, valued at around $115 billion would have. They also raised concerns about the vulnerability of the UAE’s gold sector to money laundering, despite the country being removed from the Financial Action Task Force’s “gray list” earlier this year.

The letter also linked Sudanese gold smuggled through the United Arab Emirates to the Russian Wagner Group and claimed that these funds supported Wagner’s operations in Africa and Russia’s war in Ukraine, thereby undermining international sanctions.

Senator Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has been vocal in his support for increased U.S. support for Sudan. He previously called for temporary protected status for Sudanese people in the U.S., called for more humanitarian aid and pushed for the appointment of a special envoy to Sudan, a position now held by former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello. Warner also co-sponsored the Sudan Accountability Act and has continued to work with the Sudanese diaspora.