The Council of the European Union has strengthened sanctions targeting parties fuelling the conflict in Sudan.
In a press release dated 13 July, the Council states that the decision introduces ‘a ban on the purchase, import or transfer of gold originating in Sudan. It also bans the sale, supply, transfer or export of mercury and cyanide to Sudan. These chemicals are widely used for gold mining or gold exploitation.’
This decision follows a European Parliament resolution on 9 July that explicitly condemned the role of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the conflict, as well as all external interference fuelling the war, and called for the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Council to sanction external enablers for breaching the UN arms embargo, and to work with the UN Security Council to extend the embargo to all of Sudan. It also calls on the EU to ‘consider including the RSF to the EU terrorism list.’
Speaking in a European Parliament committee hearing on 11 November 2025, CSW’s Sudan Specialist Mohaned El-Nour specifically highlighted how gold was being used to finance the war – one of the many occasions when CSW and other civil society organisations have called for increased pressure on external actors involved in the conflict in Sudan, including on the UAE.
Sudanese gold from refineries seized by the RSF has been found in global supply chains, including those of European companies such as Volkswagen. In April 2026 researchers at the Centre for Environmental and Social Studies published a report calling on companies to conduct due diligence to prevent illicitly traded gold from entering their supply chains, and depriving the warring parties of opportunities to finance their war efforts.
These measures could have saved thousands of lives in El Fasher and surrounding villages, which fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after an 18-month siege that continued despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for it to end. In February 2026 the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan found that the RSF’s actions following its October 2025 capture of the city bore ‘hallmarks of genocide’. The FFM also published a supplementary report on 8 July 2026, finding that at least three of the material elements of genocide were present in the RSF’s conduct in El Fasher.
While both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), with whom it is in conflict, are supported by various international actors, there is credible evidence that the UAE continues to provide military and financial support to the RSF, including through the provision of sophisticated weaponry to RSF fighters, and the likely deployment and training of personnel to fight alongside them.
The RSF is currently encircling El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State. El Obeid has been under near constant bombardment since June, which has worsened the humanitarian situation for civilians and severely impeded movement within and out of the city. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned of another human rights catastrophe unfolding in El Obeid, amid credible concerns of the risk of atrocity crimes occurring if it was to fall.
CSW’s Senior EU Advocate Jonathan de Leyser said: ‘CSW welcomes these significant steps to restrict the warring parties and their backers from profiting from the trade of Sudan’s gold and further fuelling their warfare capabilities. We call on the EU and member states to support efforts to ensure accountability for the severe and ongoing violations, including through the use of Universal Jurisdiction.’
Note to Editors:
- In April 2026 CSW joined Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Free Press Unlimited, Front Line Defenders, and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in calling on the EU to take robust action to protect civilians, condemn violations by all warring parties, champion justice and accountability, and support Sudanese civilians, human rights defenders, civil society and journalists. Read the open letter here.