At a time when it seems we have seen everything, the largest and least-reported conflict in the world briefly surfaced in the headlines. At the end of last October, the city of Al Fasher, capital of the fragmented Darfur region, fell after more than 500 days of siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). These military forces are waging a brutal war against the regular Sudanese army (Sudan Armed Forces, SAF), in a conflict that is bleeding the country dry in order to fill foreign jewellery shop windows with its most precious mineral.
The fall of Al Fasher was not a conventional battle. It was the culmination of a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Masalit population and other racialised communities in West Darfur carried out by the RSF. Videos shared by RSF members showed executions of civilians, desecration of hospitals, killings of patients, and the torture of Red Crescent volunteers. Most alarming is that these crimes are not hidden: they are filmed and celebrated, yet they have only resulted in increased international rhetorical condemnation and scrutiny from researchers. This impunity has a name: gold.
To understand Sudan today, three fundamental truths must be recognised. The first: the RSF are the Janjaweed. Historically, they came from nomadic Arab tribes (abbala and baggara, cattle herders) in conflict with racialised farming communities (Fur, Masalit, Zaghawa, among others) over land and water in a context of desertification. The Khartoum regime transformed them into armed militias in the 1980s, and by 2003 they were instruments of a genocidal campaign in Darfur. Those militias, with armed camel-mounted fighters (hence their Arabic name, Janjaweed), were responsible for killings, mass rapes, displacement, and destruction. In 2013, dictator Omar al-Bashir formalised their existence under a new name: Rapid Support Forces. Initially under the supervision of Sudanese intelligence, a 2017 law integrated them into the Armed Forces under direct presidential command. He gave them weapons, uniforms, and gold mines, turning them into his praetorian guard… a guard that abandoned him two years later.
The second truth: gold finances the genocide. Sudan is extremely rich in this mineral, which has awakened international greed. Over the last decade, it became the third-largest gold producer in Africa, with official extractions reaching up to 109 tonnes per year [1]. The embargo imposed by the U.S. since the 1990s, combined with the loss of most of Sudan’s oil fields after the independence of South Sudan in 2011, pushed Sudanese regime to promote gold as its main export product. Yet this wealth never reached the people. The most vulnerable population was also swept up in the gold rush, turning to informal mining sites in search of the precious mineral as a livelihood that was as full of hope as it was volatile, causing more environmental and health damage due to mercury use than real economic benefit.
More than half of Sudanese gold is trafficked illegally [2]. While Sudan ranks 172nd out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index, local elites and external actors profit. Control of the mines has been a key factor in the conflict between the RSF and the regular army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The most emblematic case is Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti,” leader of the RSF. In 2017 he seized control of Jebel Amir, the epicenter of illegal gold mining, and built an economic empire by selling gold outside state channels [3].
The third truth: the conflict is also the result of a failed political transition. After al-Bashir’s fall in 2019, driven by a massive civil revolution in which women played a key role (organising protests and resisting under the symbolic name of kandakas) [4], Hemedti secured himself a place in the transitional government. Although he was part of the repressive apparatus, he was appointed Vice-President of the Sovereign Council. Women, despite being central to the revolution, were excluded from negotiations. Many continued demanding justice and a civilian transition, and others became prominent voices in activism and journalism.
The conflict erupted between Al-Burhan (leader of the SAF and head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council) and “Hemedti” Dagalo (leader of the RSF and Vice-President of the Sovereign Council) in April 2023, triggered by disagreements over integrating the RSF into the armed forces and competition for state power and resources such as gold. This tension, exacerbated by the RSF’s accumulation of power, escalated into a civil war that stalled the democratic transition.
Meanwhile, gold flows toward the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is now the world’s main gold-refining hub, often without asking about its origin. Flights from Darfur regularly transport gold. In return, the RSF receives weapons, drones, and logistical support. International reports even reveal the presence of foreign mercenaries, such as Colombians recruited by Emirati contractors [5]. The Emirates deny involvement, but the U.S. has already sanctioned some of their companies for collaborating with the RSF [6].
Russia has also taken advantage of Sudanese gold. Through the Wagner Group, it exploited mines and smuggled tonnes of gold, evading international sanctions against the Kremlin. This loot has financed Russian operations in Africa and possibly in Ukraine [7]. China and Morocco, for their part, have established positions through legal concessions and alliances with the regular SAF army, which controls the de facto government. These alliances help sustain Sudan’s economy, bolster its military apparatus, and obtain legitimacy and political support in a context of international isolation due to internal conflict and human rights violations.
All this unfolds while Sudan’s population collapses. More than 12 million people have been forcibly displaced. Tens of thousands have died. Famine threatens half the country, with 24 million people facing food insecurity. The RSF besiege communities, cutting off access to water and food. The International Criminal Court has recently condemned past crimes, but the new genocide remains unpunished [8]. The United States has once again declared that genocide is being committed in Darfur —for the second time in twenty years. Regional organisations such as the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have attempted to mediate in the conflict without success due to the lack of political will from the warring parties. Meanwhile, Sudanese gold fills the most exclusive shop windows of the Persian Gulf and makes its way onto the international market via Dubai’s refineries or smuggling routes through neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Chad.
Conflict gold, jewellery and responsible sourcing alternatives
Gold is one of the so-called “conflict minerals”, meaning that it can be mined in areas of conflict and serious human rights violations to finance armed groups, purchase weapons and fuel war. As we have seen, it can be easily transported to other countries where it is smelted and mixed with minerals of legitimate origin before entering international markets. Ultimately, it can end up in consumer products such as jewellery or electronic devices, despite established due diligence obligations in supply chains.
As jewellery professionals or customers, can we be certain that the gold in our jewellery does not come from the Sudanese genocide or other similar atrocities? Most often, we know nothing about the origin of the materials used to create our jewellery. However, there are options for finding gold that comes from very different realities, where respect for human rights and the environment is prioritised throughout the value chain.
The best alternatives today are Fairmined and Fairtrade certifications. They offer gold and silver extracted using responsible practices by small mining organisations in countries such as Colombia and Peru, under decent and safe working conditions, without mercury and applying environmental protection mechanisms, among other aspects. They are the only options on the market that can guarantee full traceability, from the source to the moment it reaches our hands.
Beyond this, which in itself is already extraordinarily valuable, Fairmined and Fairtrade metal has added positive social value as it includes premiums for organisational improvement and community development projects (infrastructure, health, education, etc.). The benefit to mining groups and the impact on the well-being of their communities is direct, visible and quantifiable.
If we advocate conscious consumption and are concerned about the impact of our purchasing choices, we should know that it is now possible to make any type of jewellery with certified fair gold, from traditional pieces to wedding rings or custom orders. We just need to do a quick search to identify those jewellery companies that have integrated it into their production and that work from a perspective of social and environmental commitment.
Choosing this ethically sourced metal and supporting the good practices that make it possible is also a way of influencing the industry to move in a more responsible direction and contributing to a fairer, more sustainable and peaceful world. All of this allows us to give new meaning to the jewellery we create and, with each piece, tell stories of human dignity and respect for nature.
By José Alonso, with the collaboration of the ORIGEN – Gold for Future collective.
José Alonso is an expert in international cooperation and member of Nadir Perspectiva SCCL. He worked with international organizations in Sudan from 2013 to 2017, and later again in 2019 after the fall of Omar al-Bashir’s regime.