Sanctions, Designations, and Their Limited Impact

Rebel forces in Sudan have captured the city of el-Fasher in a coup so violent the blood stains could be seen from space. The RSF rebel army is led by Commander "Hemedti” Hamdan, whose family has deep ties to Sudan's gold trade. Gold makes up around 70 percent of the country's exports and is estimated at $USD16 billion annually. Much of it is smuggled to the United Arab Emirates and control of Sudan’s gold mines is making Hemedti a very rich man. Meanwhile the government's SAF army has control over their own supply of gold, and they're refusing to sign up to a ceasefire deal put forward by the United States, Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. 

• Guest: Declan Walsh, Africa Bureau Chief, New York Times and author of The Gold Rush at the Heart of a Civil War
• Producer: Catherine Zengerer