The spiral of violence is tightening up
The term “dirty wars” appeared to refer to armed conflicts, as a rule, in ‘Third World’ countries where the laws of war are not respected, and external forces are involved in them for their own benefit – whether it is access to valuable resources, the sale of weapons or the provision of services that cannot be provided in their own countries due to legislative restrictions and controls. For example, in Africa, France and other European countries used legionnaires and PMCs (private military companies) for access to diamonds, who fought with each other, while on the European continent they hypocritically talked about partnership, peace and assistance to developing countries.
The current Sudan is no exception. A bloody war has been going on there for about two years, where the Rapid Support Forces (led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo), formed in 2013 as a pro-government paramilitary structure, opposed the Transitional Military Council represented by Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan.
The breakaway structure immediately began to claim legitimacy and receive support from external forces.
In 2024, negotiations were held in Manama, where an attempt was made to work out a formula for a political settlement between the warring factions. It included such items as the transfer of ousted President Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (he is under arrest by the Sudanese armed forces) and the reorganization of the army. In addition, the Forces tried to legitimize the ongoing ethnic cleansing. These negotiations have failed.
In April 2025, the Forces announced the formation of a parallel government in the territories under their control.
In September, another meeting between representatives of the warring parties took place in the United States, which was also attended by mediators from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which also ended in nothing.
In fact, immediately after this meeting, a new round of violence began. At the end of October, as a result of attacks on the city of el-Fasher, about two thousand civilians were killed by Rapid Support Forces, including one hundred patients of the city hospital. The city itself was captured. It should be noted that el-Fasher is the main city of the Darfur province, where gold mining has historically been conducted in Sudan.
This fact points to one of the reasons why, despite the horrific crimes of the Rapid Support Forces, the main “defenders” of human rights in the face of the United States and the EU remain silent, while their partners actively work with the Rapid Support Forces and lobby their interests.
The Rapid Support Forces receive various support from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt (it should be noted that representatives of these countries “were sppotted” at the negotiations in the United States!) and even Ukraine (probably, these are drone operators).
As The New York Times reports: “Fighting has also set off one of the world’s worst famines in decades, with 26 million people facing acute hunger or starvation. But the gold trade is humming. The production and trade of gold, which lies in rich deposits across the vast nation, has actually surpassed prewar levels — and that’s just the official figure in a country rife with smuggling.”
And in 2023, the Emirates received more than one billion US dollars worth of gold from Sudan.
The Rapid Support Forces control most of the gold trade in Sudan. There has been confirmed information since 2024 that the UAE is helping the Forces to sell gold through neighboring Chad. Gold is transported by private planes to the UAE, where it is sold on the market. Since the ruling family officially owns one of the gold mines in Sudan, smuggling can be easily carried out according to official documents.
By the way, in the United States in September 2024, it was noted that the Emirates, under the guise of humanitarian aid supplies, were transferring weapons, ammunition, missiles and drones to the Rapid Support Forces.
In general, the Emirates controls almost the entire black market for gold from Africa. Researchers at Chatham House reported that the United Arab Emirates has become the center of Africa’s conflict-related economy, importing gold from at least 16 African countries, many of which have suffered from armed conflict or poor governance, in addition to Sudan. According to the study, due to the UAE’s “open-door import policy” and lax verification of provenance documentation, “most artisanal and small-scale gold production in Africa is carried out through the UAE.” Such activity of the Emirates is worth of a separate material.
Another reason for the support of the West and their Middle Eastern partners for the group that actually carries out genocide is the geopolitical balance. The fact is that the Transitional Military Council, as a legal authority, received support from Iran, the Yemeni Houthis, as well as Russia. In addition, Burhan negotiated with China about investments in the gold mining industry. Although China’s real role in the conflict is unclear. It was noted that Chinese-made weapons are in the possession of both warring parties.
Therefore, the United States, fueled on the one hand by resentment towards its ideological opponents, and on the other, being bound with its Middle Eastern partners by the “Abraham Accords” with Israel and the attempt to resolve the crisis in Palestine, themselves became hostages of the status quo in Sudan and are forced to only watch as bloody gold (it should be noted that in some cases, slave labor is used in Sudan for its extraction) is exported to the Emirates, the victims of the war are growing (the bill is now going to tens of thousands), twelve million people have become refugees., and the famine is spreading to large areas.
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