UK imposes sanctions on 11 people and firms over Sudan gold trade

The measures target businesses and individuals linked to both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Sudan's gold industry had become the engine of the war economy, with billions of dollars' worth of gold smuggled out of the country every year to fund weapons purchases and military operations.

Sanctions target both sides Among those sanctioned is Abu Dharr Abdul Nabi Habiballa Ahmmed, described by the UK as an RSF financier who used a network of companies in Dubai to fund the paramilitary group. UAE-based firms allegedly involved in RSF procurement are also included, along with three Sudanese state-owned mining companies accused of generating gold revenues for the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Official exports were worth $1.5bn in 2024 and 2025, the UK said, but the true value of the trade was several times higher because billions of dollars' worth of gold is smuggled out of the country each year through illicit channels.

Warnings issued on El Obeid The UK has also warned that the strategic city of El Obeid was at risk of becoming "another El Fasher" and called for the United Nations arms embargo on Sudan to be extended beyond Darfur. El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, has endured months of siege and humanitarian hardship.

Advancing RSF forces are encircling the city, cutting off supply routes while launching repeated drone attacks on fuel, infrastructure and storage sites. An estimated 500,000 civilians are at risk. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a parliamentary debate earlier this month that she had raised El Obeid with allies at the recent NATO summit in Ankara, adding that she is "deeply fearful that the Sudanese city is at risk of mass bloodshed and civilian casualties".