Britain has sanctioned 11 people and companies accused of using gold, procurement and financial networks to support both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The designations, announced on July 16, target Sudanese individuals and companies trading internationally through markets including Dubai and Hong Kong. British officials called illicit gold and finance central to the war economy: official gold exports were worth $1.5 billion across 2024 and 2025, while several billion dollars more may be smuggled out each year, according to the government.
Britain accuses Abu Dharr Abdul Nabi Habiballa Ahmmed of financing and sustaining RSF operations from outside Sudan through real estate, conflict gold and holding companies based in Dubai. Prodigious Real Estate Management Supervision Services was sanctioned as part of his alleged commercial network.
The UK also designated RSF-linked procurement operatives Mazin Fadlalla and Ahmed Hashim, alongside Natwest Logistics LLC and Aoun Commercial Brokers LLC, which are suspected of facilitating procurement, logistics and financial transactions for the paramilitary force.
On the SAF side, Britain sanctioned Ahmad Abdalla, who is linked to the army-controlled Defence Industries System, and Hong Kong-registered Portex Trade Limited. The company is accused of supporting military procurement and helping evade existing sanctions.
Three Sudanese mining companies – Omdurman Mining, Ariab Mining Company and Sudamin – were also designated over alleged gold revenues benefiting the SAF. Britain said Sudamin had also maintained past links to Al Junaid, a sanctioned company associated with the RSF.
The measures follow the European Union’s July 13 prohibition on purchasing, importing or transferring gold originating in Sudan. The EU also restricted supplies of mercury and cyanide used in gold production.
The sanctions expose more of the commercial infrastructure sustaining Sudan’s war. Their impact, however, will depend on enforcement in the international markets where Sudanese gold is traded and converted into usable revenue.
