Sudan says gold output hits 53 tonnes in nine months

October 12, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan produced 53 tonnes of gold in the first nine months of 2025, generating $909 million from exports, the state-run Sudanese Mineral Resources Company said on Sunday.

The official figures do not include production from mines in regions controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) or rebel groups in Darfur and South Kordofan, where a significant portion of the country’s mineral wealth is located.

In a statement, the company reported that the output also generated domestic revenues of 699 billion Sudanese pounds. It highlighted a major surge in the traditional mining sector, where revenues grew by 506% compared to previous years, reaching over 300 billion pounds.

Sudan’s gold industry is dominated by artisanal mining, which employs an estimated two million people. However, the state has long struggled to control the sector, with large quantities of gold being smuggled abroad to markets like the UAE and Egypt. This illicit trade deprives the country of foreign currency needed for vital imports, including fuel and wheat.

The report comes after Sudan’s central bank banned private gold exports on September 15. The move, part of a wider economic emergency plan, restricts the purchase and marketing of the precious metal to the central bank, which will buy it at international prices in an effort to curb smuggling.