Gold Mined in Sudan
Gold mining in Sudan is a lucrative industry. Although it is illegal in the country, it is still practised. Artisanal miners dig deep trenches following veins of gold. The miners then leave behind hazardous white powder waste containing toxic chemicals. They do not pay local taxes and royalties. This makes it difficult for the government to regulate the industry. However, a new transitional government is working to improve the sector and bring it under more regulation.
Most of the operations in Sudan are rudimentary, relying on traditional extraction methods. A large portion of the country’s gold comes from artisanal miners. These miners have no health and safety regulations and dig without adequate safety measures. Many miners have suffered accidents. Other people want to improve conditions for workers, including reducing the use of cyanide.
A new Sudanese government has outlined its vision for safer mining and is considering ways to increase the contributions that mining makes to the economy. But a recent report by the Enough Project, a global watchdog, found that mining was a direct contributor to war crimes in the country. In fact, it is estimated that more than half of the country’s gold production is smuggled out of the country.
Where is Gold Mined in Sudan?
There are two Russian gold mining companies operating in the country. One of them, Meroe, is owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the deputy president of the Kremlin. It is linked to the Wagner Group, a network of Russian mercenaries. It is also known to provide security services to the government, as well as train and equip the Sudanese military.
However, the Central Bank of Sudan issued a circular limiting its role in the sector. It said that the mining sector should not be allowed to be operated by foreigners, but that it should instead be run by local enterprises. The circular stated that the export of gold by foreigners was prohibited, as was the export of gold by governmental agencies.
Gold is an expensive item to transport, and it is a lot more cumbersome than wire transfers. In addition, gold is more difficult to seize than most other types of goods. That is why many analysts suspect that the country is losing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue as a result of gold smuggling.
Hemeti, the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the armed group that ruled the country after the 2021 coup, is also involved in gold mining. He is the number two man in the transitional government. And he grew up in Darfur. He was a brigadier general during the Darfur conflict, and he helped lead the government-backed Janjaweed militia.
The gold is mined in the Jebel Amer mountain region in Darfur, and the deposits are abundant. However, most of the mines collapse every year. Russia’s gold extraction operation is located in northeastern Sudan.
It has been reported that a Russian defence official arrived in the country in November 2017. According to a report by the New York Times, Russia is pursuing a naval base in Sudan.