UAE Embargo Deepens Sudan's Economic Collapse and Fuels Smuggling
Key Takeaways
- UN and EU embargoes on Sudan arms are being circumvented.
- International supply chains originate from multiple countries, traced through diverse routes.
- Emirati involvement evidenced by a 50-million-euro contract and UAE origins.
Trade Collapse
The UAE trade restrictions have plunged Sudan deeper into economic chaos.
“A report published today by the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker warns that United Arab Emirates trade restrictions and regional tensions are deepening Sudan’s economic crisis and pushing more activity into informal networks”
The UAE imposed an air and maritime embargo blocking key routes to Port Sudan.
Costs of imports have risen while earnings from gold and oil fell.
Fuel supply is severely impacted as 84.1 percent of Sudan's petroleum came from the UAE.
Gold Trade Disrupted
The embargo hit Sudan's main export sector hardest: gold.
The closure of Dubai to Sudanese gold sent shockwaves through the market.
Between 50 and 80 percent of gold production is now reportedly smuggled.
Khartoum's response has counterproductively encouraged smuggling.
Illegal Arms Flood Sudan
An Amnesty International report reveals thousands of weapons shipped to Sudan despite a UN embargo.
“Made in China, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, or Yemen, thousands of weapons have been shipped to Sudan for several years, where the civil war has killed tens of thousands of people since April 2023 and has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises”
France 24 traced mortar shells manufactured in Bulgaria being used by Sudanese militias.
The conflict has killed at least 16,650 people by ACLED counts and displaced 11 million.
The dual pressures of economic strangulation and unregulated arms inflows deepen Sudan's catastrophe.
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