Gum Arabic is a source of war financing
London – “al-Hadaf”
Gum Arabic has emerged as a significant funding source for both sides of the conflict in Sudan. Merchants are paying the Secret Forces to safeguard their export convoys, underscoring their direct involvement in the conflict and its economic impact. Furthermore, some armed movements have ventured into the smuggling business to finance their military operations. UN observers have reported that merchants face a substantial financial burden due to the conflict. They pay an estimated $330 at the Secret Forces’ El Obeid checkpoints to ensure their goods’ safe passage and prevent looting. In addition to these payments, gum Arabic traders also deliver between $60 and $100 to fighters of the Al-Da’am al-Sir who accompany the merchants’ convoys in pickup trucks. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, one merchant revealed that people who refuse to pay risk losing their goods and vehicles to the militias. In addition to the forces raising money by controlling most of the leading agricultural roads, the military that runs the country’s de facto government imposes taxes and other customs duties on the gum Arabic trade. An academic who has researched the gum Arabic industry and the benefits of gum Arabic and gave a lecture last week in London attended by Al Hadaf said: “Gum Arabic export revenues directly fund this gum Arabic. The academic, who declined to be named, pointed out that some armed movements allied with the army are smuggling gum Arabic to the State of Libya, where they smuggled more than “60” tons and sold it to some Libyan traders, who offered it to some Sudanese companies working in the field of export because of their experience in this field. The expert and specialist in gum Arabic, Dr. Yasser Hamouda, told Al-Hadaf that stopping the purchase of gum Arabic will harm hundreds of thousands of Sudanese who depend on gum Arabic for their livelihoods, many of whom are farmers or members of Bedouin communities. He pointed out that gum Arabic is one of the leading agricultural exports in Sudan. In 2022, Sudan exported Arabic gum worth about $183 million, making it one of the top 10 exports for the country overall. Sudan’s production is expected to fall by about half during the season, which runs from October to May, as many young people who harvest the crop join the fight.
Translated from Arabic by Ibrahim Ebeid.
