UAE reveals gold imports from Sudan in 2024 accounted for 1% of total trade

The UAE on Wednesday revealed that its gold imports from Sudan reached $1.97 billion in 2024, accounting for 1.06 per cent of its total gold trade.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade released the figures in a statement shared with The National, in light of "recent reports on gold imports" from the country engulfed in a brutal war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

"In 2024, the combined value of gold passing through the UAE was $186 billion. The value from Sudan was $1.97 billion, which amounts to 1.06 per cent, and does not exceed 0.4 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)," said the ministry.

The UAE has called for an end to the brutal war that has turned Sudan into the world's biggest humanitarian crisis, with more than half the population of 50 million facing hunger or famine. Thousands have been killed, and about 14 million people have been displaced.

UAE humanitarian efforts in Sudan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are valued at $4.24 billion, including $784 million in aid since the outbreak of the war in 2023.

The UAE is the second-largest gold-trading hub in the world after the UK, according to the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), which is playing a key role in the regulation and trade of the precious metal. Cities such as Dubai have also become a key hub for private wealth management to hold their capital in gold.

In 2021, the federal government introduced the UAE Good Delivery standard for refiners and traders to supply gold to regulated exchanges such as the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX). The new standard aligns Dubai with credible governance practices to ensure transparency in the global gold trade.

According to Sudanese central bank data, the UAE imported most of Sudan's gold exports, about 8.8 tonnes, in the first half of 2025. Despite this, some elements in the Sudanese de facto authorities accused the UAE of backing the RSF, mainly for the gold, an allegation the country has strongly denied.

Customers at a jewellery shop in Dubai. The value of gold passing through the UAE last year was $186 billion. EPA

Risk-based approach

The Sudanese rival forces have been accused of committing atrocities and war crimes by the UN. This year, the US imposed sanctions against the head of the SAF and Sudan’s de facto leader, Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, accusing him of "destabilising Sudan and undermining the goal of a democratic transition". Several SAF and RSF leaders have also been sanctioned by the US, the UN and the EU.

Last week, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivered a stark warning to parties in Sudan’s war, telling them the world is documenting their crimes and accountability is inevitable.