UAE gold imports from Sudan surge despite civil war, Swissaid report reveals

According to the report, released on Tuesday, the UAE imported 29 tonnes of gold from Sudan last year, a steep increase from 17 tonnes in 2023. (Photo: African Hub)

By Bashir Mbuthia
Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Further, Swissaid accused the Gulf nation of acting as "a global hub for gold of dubious origin," with much of the Sudanese gold allegedly linked to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) sharply increased its gold imports from Sudan in 2024, raising concerns that the trade is fueling the country's devastating civil war, a new report by Swiss watchdog Swissaid has revealed.

According to the report, released on Tuesday, the UAE imported 29 tonnes of gold from Sudan last year, a steep increase from 17 tonnes in 2023.

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Further, Swissaid accused the Gulf nation of acting as "a global hub for gold of dubious origin," with much of the Sudanese gold allegedly linked to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023.

The report also reveals that 27 tonnes of gold entering the UAE were routed through neighbouring countries such as Chad and Libya, which it described as exit corridors for RSF-controlled smuggling networks.

Swissaid cited data from the United Nations' Comtrade platform, published on October 31, reportedly confirming the flow of Sudanese gold to the UAE despite international restrictions. According to Swissaid, the data has since been deleted from the UN platform.

"These patterns and flows confirm the UAE's role as a major destination for smuggled Sudanese gold, as detailed in Swissaid's African Gold Report published in May 2025," said the NGO.

According to Swissaid, the trend goes beyond Sudan and its neighbours. In 2024, the UAE imported 31 tonnes of gold from Uganda and 19 tonnes from Rwanda, countries that mine very little gold themselves but are known routes for smuggled gold from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where gold mining is partly tied to ongoing conflicts.

"Other countries also act as exit points for illegal gold: the UAE imported 52 tonnes from Togo, a country that produces almost no gold, highlighting the scale of regional smuggling networks and their links to the UAE," it said.

Swissaid also criticised the UAE for purchasing an estimated $5.4 billion worth of Russian gold in 2024, saying the trade risked "indirectly supporting the war in Ukraine."

"In 2024, the UAE reported importing 66 tonnes of gold from Russia (valued at $5.4 billion), up from 41 tonnes in 2023. This was accompanied by 78 tonnes of gold imported from Armenia ($5.8 billion), a country serving almost exclusively as a transit point for Russian gold, compared to 41 tonnes the previous year," the NGO said.

Although the UAE introduced new rules in 2023 to align with standards on conflict gold and was later removed from global watchlists for money laundering, the report said the measures have not translated into real change.

"Given these numbers, the UAE should once again be placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list," added Marc Ummel, SWISSAID's head of Unit Raw Material.

The findings come amid repeated UN allegations that Abu Dhabi has supplied drones and weapons to the RSF, which has recently been criticised for carrying out mass killings in Sudan, particularly in El Fasher and surrounding areas, after the paramilitary group recaptured the strategic town from the Sudanese military in late October.

Recent reports tabled before the UN Security Council have also confirmed the recovery of British-made weapons and military equipment from battlefields in Sudan.

The reports, compiled by Sudan's military in June 2024 and March 2025, revealed the discovery of small-arms training systems manufactured in Wales by Militec and British-built engines fitted in armoured vehicles at former RSF bases in Khartoum and Omdurman.