Sudan gold exports hit $1.5 bln in 10 months – official

November 21, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s gold exports generated $1.5 billion in revenue in the first ten months of 2024, a government official said on Thursday, as the country grapples with the economic fallout of a devastating conflict.

Since fighting erupted earlier this year, gold has become a crucial source of income for Sudan. The fighting disrupted around 80% of public revenues, which are used to finance imports of essential commodities such as fuel and wheat and support the war effort.

“The country’s gold exports through official channels continue to rise,” Mohamed Taher Omer, director of the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company, told the closing session of an economic forum.

He said $1.5 billion had been transferred to the central bank as gold export revenues from January to October.

Around 2 million people work in artisanal mining in Sudan, often in harsh conditions, contributing an estimated 80% of the country’s total gold production.

However, the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company, the government body overseeing gold production, has struggled to control this informal sector, leading to significant gold smuggling.

Omer said that while 26 tonnes of gold had been officially exported, actual production exceeded 50 tonnes.

He added that authorities had taken steps to encourage exports through official channels, boosting revenue and helping finance imports of strategic commodities.

“[The minerals sector] has a major role in supporting the state treasury and the national economy, as well as the war effort,” Omer said.

He noted that gold production in Darfur was no longer under government control after the Rapid Support Forces seized most of the region, depriving the state of access to these resources.