Beyza Binnur Donmez
15 July 2026•Update: 15 July 2026
Sudan’s war economy is helping sustain the country’s three-year conflict and exposing global supply chains to serious human rights risks, the UN human rights office warned Wednesday.
A new report released by the office said warring parties have increasingly relied on controlling and exploiting territory, trade routes and commodities to finance military operations, contributing to an “increasingly self-perpetuating” conflict.
“This war economy must be disrupted, and the international community must pay much closer attention to the commodities and trade routes that help keep it alive,” UN human rights chief Volker Turk said.
The report examined gum arabic, a key ingredient in soft drinks, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, as a case study. Before the war, Sudan accounted for roughly 70-80% of global crude gum arabic exports.
The UN said people linked to the trade have faced threats, arbitrary detention, looting and extortion.
Since the conflict began in 2023, gum arabic from areas controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces has moved toward Port Sudan, while significant quantities from areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces have been redirected through cross-border smuggling routes.
“Companies cannot continue business as usual when sourcing from conflict-affected value chains,” Turk warned in the report, urging heightened, conflict-sensitive human rights due diligence.
He also called for stronger traceability, regulatory oversight and scrutiny of routes, intermediaries, documentation and possible relabeling.
