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Sudan's rival factions are profiting from control over the country's resources, and a growing "war economy" is sustaining the conflict, the United Nations said Wednesday.
The U.N. human rights office said the warring sides rely on territory, trade routes and commodities to fund the rising cost of military operations, contributing to a conflict that has become "increasingly self-perpetuating."
The war between Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023. It has killed 200,000 people by some estimates and displaced more than 11 million others.
Several areas of Sudan have been pushed into hunger and famine.
The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called on the two sides, as well as companies involved in collecting and selling Sudanese commodities, to ensure compliance with international law.
"Sudan's vast wealth of natural resources should benefit its people," U.N. rights chief Volker Turk said.
"Distressingly, what we are seeing today is anything but that. In fact, this wealth is only serving to undermine human rights and drive conflict, bringing pain and suffering on an enormous scale," he said.
"This war economy must be disrupted, and the international community must pay much closer attention to the commodities and trade routes that help keep it alive."
The OHCHR report focused on the trade in gum arabic, a key ingredient in products ranging from soft drinks to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Before the war, Sudan accounted for 70% to 80% of global crude gum arabic exports.
Although modest in export value compared with other commodities, gum arabic is an important source of income for millions of Sudanese and remains one of the country's most internationally relied-upon exports.
The report found that many people who depend on the gum arabic trade have faced looting, extortion, arbitrary detention and threats, particularly by the parties to the conflict and their allies.
In May 2025, the Gum Arabic Exchange and its warehouses, along with part of the local market in el-Nuhud in West Kordofan state, were reportedly looted by the RSF when stocks were full and ready for export.
The report said the incident severely disrupted local trade and livelihoods.
OHCHR said Sudan's gum arabic trade had been reshaped by the fragmentation of the country since the war began.
Gum arabic from areas controlled by the armed forces is sent toward Port Sudan for export, while significant quantities from RSF-controlled areas have been redirected to neighboring countries through cross-border smuggling routes.
The report said the gum may then be processed and traded as locally produced, making its origin difficult to verify.
Turk urged countries and companies linked to trade in Sudanese commodities, including gum arabic, to ensure that their business was not fueling the conflict or harming human rights.
He called on countries to strengthen accountability, traceability and regulatory oversight while respecting human rights.
"Companies cannot continue business as usual when sourcing from conflict-affected value chains," Turk said.
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