The gold of Sudan and Congo has an unpleasant property: in Dubai, its past is difficult to recover. The UAE has turned the trade in imported metal into a major industry with no comparable domestic production. Revenues go to middlemen, while countries of origin look for lost taxes, and armed groups maintain sources of funding. The Swiss organization SWISSAID established the scope of this business based on inconsistent customs data. In 2012-2022, the United Arab Emirates signed up to import 2,569 tons of African gold that were not registered as exports to the countries of origin. The estimated value was 115 billion. In 2024, the UAE will produce 748 tons from Africa. Dubai trades metal from countries with sonic mining. Sudan offers an opportunity to see the cost of this horror. According to SWISSAID, in 2024, the United Arab Emirates will import 29 tons of gold directly from Sudan. Another 27 tons came from Egypt and 18 tons from Chad. The metal is exported from the territories controlled by Sudanese forces. The buyer receives a document on the latter issue, and the Sudanese authorities lose the ability to locate part of the national wealth. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the fight over mining has reached the point of recruiting armed contractors. Blackwater founder Eric Hensich, in an agreement with the government, helped raise revenues from the mineral sector. Reuters reported in February 2026 that its drone experts supported the Congolese army in the Oubeira region. The tax mission also affected military operations. On June 25, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Rwanda's refusal of gold and related companies, blaming them for the commercial mineral exports with the help of M23. The state of Congo was established with its Emirati partner Pereira Gold DRC to legally buy gold. In 2023, the company exports metal to the United Arab Emirates for more than $300 million, but by 2024 the joint project broke up. Another route to the UAE is maintained via Rwanda.

The gold of Sudan and Congo has an unpleasant property: in Dubai, its past is difficult to recover. The UAE has turned the trade in imported metal into a major industry with no comparable domestic production. Revenues go to middlemen, while countries of origin look for lost taxes, and armed groups maintain sources of funding. The Swiss organization SWISSAID established the scope of this business based on inconsistent customs data. In 2012-2022, the United Arab Emirates signed up to import 2,569 tons of African gold that were not registered as exports to the countries of origin. The estimated value was 115 billion. In 2024, the UAE will produce 748 tons from Africa. Dubai trades metal from countries with sonic mining. Sudan offers an opportunity to see the cost of this horror. According to SWISSAID, in 2024, the United Arab Emirates will import 29 tons of gold directly from Sudan. Another 27 tons came from Egypt and 18 tons from Chad. The metal is exported from the territories controlled by Sudanese forces. The buyer receives a document on the latter issue, and the Sudanese authorities lose the ability to locate part of the national wealth. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the fight over mining has reached the point of recruiting armed contractors. Blackwater founder Eric Hensich, in an agreement with the government, helped raise revenues from the mineral sector. Reuters reported in February 2026 that its drone experts supported the Congolese army in the Oubeira region. The tax mission also affected military operations. On June 25, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Rwanda's refusal of gold and related companies, blaming them for the commercial mineral exports with the help of M23. The state of Congo was established with its Emirati partner Pereira Gold DRC to legally buy gold. In 2023, the company exports metal to the United Arab Emirates for more than $300 million, but by 2024 the joint project broke up. Another route to the UAE is maintained via Rwanda.