A United Nations Human Rights Office report has warned that Sudan’s expanding war economy is helping sustain the country’s three-year conflict by generating revenue through the control of territory, trade routes and commodities, while exposing global supply chains to serious human rights risks. Published on Wednesday, the report calls on all parties to the conflict, as well as states and corporations involved in Sudan’s gum arabic value chain, to ensure their activities comply with international law and do not contribute to the continuation of the fighting.
According to the report, the increasing costs of military operations have driven the warring parties to rely on the exploitation of natural resources and commercial networks to finance the conflict. It describes the situation as an “increasingly self-perpetuating” war economy in which economic activity linked to valuable commodities has become intertwined with the continuation of hostilities.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Sudan’s natural wealth should serve the interests of its population rather than intensify violence and human rights abuses. He said the country’s resources are instead being used to undermine human rights and fuel conflict, causing widespread suffering. Türk called for the disruption of the war economy and urged the international community to pay closer attention to the commodities and trade routes that continue to sustain it.
The report focuses on the gum arabic trade as a case study illustrating the human rights consequences of Sudan’s war economy. Gum arabic, a key ingredient used in products including soft drinks, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, remains one of Sudan’s most internationally significant exports. Before the conflict began, Sudan accounted for approximately 70 to 80 per cent of global crude gum arabic exports, despite the commodity representing a relatively modest share of the country’s export value.
The report states that gum arabic continues to provide an important source of income for millions of Sudanese people. However, it says individuals and families connected to the trade have faced threats to their safety, arbitrary detention, looting and extortion, including acts attributed to parties involved in the conflict and associated actors. It also says widespread looting and disruption of the gum arabic supply chain have damaged livelihoods and worsened working conditions for those dependent on the sector.
As an example, the report cites the reported looting in May 2025 of the Gum Arabic Exchange, its warehouses and parts of the wider market in El-Nuhud, West Kordofan, by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). According to the report, the incident occurred when export stocks were full and ready for shipment, severely disrupting local trade and affecting livelihoods connected to the industry.
The report says Sudan’s gum arabic trade has undergone significant changes since the conflict began in 2023 because of territorial fragmentation. It states that supplies originating in areas controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have largely continued toward Port Sudan for export, while significant quantities from RSF-controlled areas have reportedly been diverted through cross-border smuggling routes into neighbouring countries.
The UN also highlights the role of neighbouring and transit states in moving Sudanese gum arabic onward through international markets. It warns that gum arabic originating in Sudan may enter customs or commercial export systems where it is, in some cases, documented, processed or traded as locally produced, making its true origin difficult to verify.
Türk said international human rights law, humanitarian law and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights provide a framework for addressing the issue. He urged governments to strengthen accountability, traceability, regulatory oversight and access to remedies, while calling on companies involved in sourcing Sudanese commodities to ensure their trade practices do not contribute to human rights abuses or prolong the conflict. He also said businesses operating in conflict-affected supply chains should carry out enhanced, conflict-sensitive human rights due diligence, including closer scrutiny of trade routes, intermediaries, documentation and potential re-labelling, while ensuring affected people have access to safe and effective grievance mechanisms.
