Looted Gum Arabic, Gold, and the War Economy of Sudan: What the Latest UN Reports Reveal

Latest UN reporting through mid-2026 paints a stark picture of a multi-layered crisis in Sudan: the war economy is sustained by looted global commodities — especially gum arabic and gold — while civilians face devastating drone strikes, a resurgent cholera outbreak, systematic sexual violence used as a weapon of war, mass displacement, and a humanitarian response that remains dangerously underfunded.

The War Economy: How Gum Arabic and Gold Finance the Conflict

A 2025 UN Panel of Experts report to the Security Council found that proceeds from looted and smuggled gum arabic and gold have directly enabled the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to sustain access to sophisticated weapons . Sudan historically supplied 70–77% of global gum arabic exports, valued at around $150 million annually . The war has led to the loss or smuggling of at least 90,000 tons of gum arabic worth $200 million, according to the UN report .

RSF commanders in Darfur turned a blind eye to widespread looting of gum arabic as a way to preserve fighters' loyalty; local traders in East and South Darfur estimated that around 3,700 tons of gum arabic were looted between January and June 2024 alone . The conflict has also disrupted legitimate supply chains, with insecurity, smuggling, and damaged trade routes hampering production and shipping . An ACAPS report notes that smuggling of fuel, livestock, weapons, and illicit taxation along routes linking Sudan to Chad and the Central African Republic has created hubs for a conflict-driven economy .

The illicit trade in gold and gum arabic has become the financial backbone of Sudan's conflict, funding military operations by both the SAF and the RSF . Journalists on the ground have alleged that armed groups are demanding ransoms to let gum arabic travel across regions , and a November 2025 report by PAX details how the gum arabic sector has evolved into a lucrative source of revenue for armed groups through looting, forced taxation, and extensive smuggling networks .

Drone Strikes: The Leading Cause of Civilian Deaths

Armed drones have become "by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths" in Sudan, according to UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk . Between January and May 2026, drone strikes killed over 1,000 civilians . An earlier May 2026 count from the UN put the figure at 880, representing more than 80% of all conflict-related civilian deaths recorded during that period .

The strategically important town of El Obeid has faced "relentless" drone attacks by advancing paramilitary militias; in just three weeks, the UN documented 15 drone strikes hitting civilian infrastructure that killed at least 45 civilians . Daily drone attacks there have also hampered humanitarian aid access . Children are disproportionately affected, with drone attacks responsible for 80% of all child killings and injuries — at least 245 such casualties were recorded in the first three months of 2026 . A drone strike on a crowded market in western Sudan killed 11 people, including children , and in one harrowing incident, nearly 80 people — more than half of them children — were killed in a wave of drone strikes that hit a kindergarten, a hospital, and rescue teams .

Cholera: A Resurgent Outbreak Amidst Siege

After a massive outbreak from 2024 to early 2026 — which saw over 462,000 cases and 5,869 deaths across five WHO regions by August 2025 — Sudan declared the outbreak over in March 2026 after 48 days without a reported case . However, as of July 10, 2026, a new deadly cholera outbreak has emerged, already claiming more than 100 lives, primarily in western states .

The new outbreak is concentrated in areas already under siege and drone attack, compounding access problems for aid workers . The UN World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Sudan reported more than 1,330 confirmed cases and 114 deaths from the disease . In 2025, over 32,000 suspected cholera cases were reported in Sudan as conflict and displacement fueled the outbreak; 33.5 million people were considered at risk, with a $50 million urgent appeal only 16% funded . The previous outbreak infected 124,418 people in Sudan alone and resulted in 3,573 deaths .

Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War

A June 2026 OHCHR report verified 546 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence across 16 of Sudan's 18 states since April 2023, calling the scale, prevalence, and brutality "unprecedented" and describing it as the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war . At least 838 victims were affected, all but 15 of them women and girls, but these figures represent only "the tip of the iceberg" .

The UN Security Council heard in 2025 that sexual violence is being used systematically — including against children — and that verified cases represent only a fraction of the true scale . Both SAF and RSF and their allied militias have been implicated in widespread violations that "may amount to war crimes and/or crimes against humanity" . The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan documented that girls as young as seven years old have been sexually assaulted . UNFPA warned that over 12 million women and girls — and increasingly men and boys — are estimated to be at risk of assault, an 80% increase from previous estimates . The UN Secretary-General's 2025 annual report verified 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence globally, with the highest numbers recorded in the DRC, Haiti, and Sudan .

Displacement and Humanitarian Funding Shortfalls

The UN describes Sudan as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with at least several thousand civilians killed, upwards of 12 million people displaced, and 33.5 million people at risk from disease outbreaks alone . Violence is intensifying and disrupting critical aid flows, with the UN warning that "intensified and widening violence in the coming weeks could result in more displacement and disruption to critical aid flows" . Sudan's youngest citizens are bearing the heaviest toll — nearly 700 civilians were reported killed in the first three months of 2026 alone, and drone attacks account for 80% of all child killings and injuries .

In 2025, the cholera response required $50 million urgently but was only 16% funded . Multiple UN updates in 2026 stress that the humanitarian community is rushing to contain multiple disease outbreaks "despite insecurity and limited access" , and that intensifying violence is disrupting critical aid flows . The UN's OCHA colleagues say the humanitarian community is rushing to contain multiple disease outbreaks in Sudan despite insecurity and limited access .

The Self-Reinforcing Cycle of Conflict

The conflict has created a self-reinforcing cycle: illicit commodity trade (gum arabic, gold) fuels weapons procurement for both sides, enabling drone warfare that kills hundreds of civilians monthly; the breakdown of health systems and water infrastructure triggers recurrent cholera outbreaks; sexual violence is deployed deliberately to terrorize communities and drive displacement; and the widening displacement deepens humanitarian needs that remain drastically underfunded. Each element compounds the others, and no single factor shows signs of abating.