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

Combined value of gold passing through the country reached $186 billion that year, including $1.97 billion from Sudan's gold

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

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 to 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," 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 considered the second-largest gold-trading hub in the world after the UK, with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre playing a key role in enabling 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. 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.

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. The violence has escalated dramatically in recent weeks, as the RSF seized control of the key town of El Fasher in north Darfur.

During the same session at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, a Sudanese representative repeated accusations against the UAE of backing the RSF. The UAE strongly rejected these claims, saying the SAF is using such allegations, including those about illicit gold trading, to distract the world from its own atrocities.

In its statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade said that over the last five years, the country has developed a “robust regulatory framework to maximise the security, integrity and transparency of every gold transaction".

“These include mandatory anti-money-laundering and know-your-customer protocols, annual audits and full enforcement at all points of entry. Our procedures are fully in line with, and in some areas exceed, the OECD Due Diligence Guidelines for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas – and consistent with the world’s leading gold-trading hubs,” it added.

Regulatory standards in the UAE require gold refiners and precious metals dealers to strictly comply with enhanced on-site and off-site due diligence before onboarding suppliers operating in or sourcing from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.

“Our risk-based approach, combined with strict regulatory oversight and supported by a comprehensive training programme, has effectively mitigated the risk of conflict-affected gold entering the legitimate supply chain and reinforced the integrity of the UAE’s precious metals market,” explained the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

“These measures have enabled us to earn the trust of exporters from all over the world, who recognise the stability and broad scope of our gold sector.”

“Given the global gold community’s confidence in the UAE’s market, the effectiveness of our regulatory framework, and our strong commitment to the integrity of the gold trade, the relevant entities in this sector will continue to collaborate with global bodies to ensure that our enforcement and reporting practices meet the highest international standards,” concluded the ministry.