Sudan’s civil war is now in its third year, with the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) engaged in a devastating struggle for power.
The conflict has caused the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 9.5 million people forced from their homes in Sudan’s 18 states and millions facing hunger.
Sudan has vast natural resources such as oil, gold, and agricultural land that could help feed its people, but contestation and shifting control over these resources has made this impossible.
Below are eight maps and diagrams showing what resources Sudan has and who controls them.
Who controls what in Sudan?
The military controls much of the north and east, including the capital Khartoum, major cities along the Nile, and the Red Sea hub of Port Sudan.
The RSF captured El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, on October 26, consolidating its hold on western Darfur after besieging it for nearly 18 months.
What are Sudan’s main exports?
Three sectors are leading: oil, gold, and agricultural products.
In 2023, Sudan’s exports were worth $5.09 billion, mainly crude oil ($1.13 billion), gold ($1.03 billion), livestock products ($902 million), oilseeds ($709 million, of which $613 million was sesame), and gum arabic ($141 million).
Sudan is the world’s largest exporter of sesame seeds and gum arabic, which is used as a stabilizer and emulsifier in the global food and beverage industry, as well as in pharmaceuticals, supplements and cosmetics.
Who controls Sudan’s agricultural resources?
The country’s geography is primarily shaped by the Nile River, which floods annually and supplies water to farmland.
The White Nile joins the Blue Nile in Khartoum and flows north into Egypt as the Nile.
Approximately half (51.4 percent) of Sudan’s land area is covered by grazing land, which is mostly spread throughout the southern part of the country and ends approximately in Khartoum.
Grazing land, or grazing land, is coveted as it can support pastoralism and animal husbandry, and management is split almost evenly between the military and the RSF.
The northern part of the rangeland is an area known as the ‘Arabic Gum Belt’, planted with acacia trees that produce valuable resin.
Most of Sudan’s agricultural land is concentrated between the Blue and White Nile rivers, including Gezira state, an area controlled by the military.
Who controls Sudan’s oil?
Oil exports are Sudan’s main source of income.
Production increased from 200,000 barrels per day to nearly 500,000 barrels per day between 2001 and 2010. It collapsed after South Sudan seceded in 2011, taking 75 percent of Sudan’s oil reserves with it.
By 2023, production has fallen to 70,000 barrels per day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The Economic Complexity Observatory estimated that crude oil remains one of Sudan’s top exports, with its value reaching $1.13 billion, making it the world’s 40th largest crude oil exporter.
The top buyers were Malaysia ($468 million), Italy ($299 million), Germany ($125 million), China ($105 million), Singapore ($80.3 million) and India ($51.4 million).
As of 2024, Sudan’s oil reserves are estimated at 1.25 billion barrels and natural gas reserves at 3 trillion cubic feet. However, Sudan neither produces nor consumes large amounts of gas.
Most of Sudan’s oil fields are located in the south, near the border with South Sudan, and the two countries’ oil sectors remain closely linked. Many of these fields are now under the control of RSF.
The industry is supported by five refineries located in the central and northern regions. The largest is the Khartoum refinery, which can process 100,000 barrels per day and is owned by SAF as of the end of January 2025.
The military also controls a small oil refinery in Port Sudan.
The pipeline transports crude oil from oil fields in the south to the Bashayer export terminal south of Port Sudan, making it an important route for oil in Sudan and South Sudan. Most of the line from El Obeid to Port Sudan remains under military control.
Who controls Sudan’s gold?
Sudan is one of Africa’s leading gold producers, with deposits in the northeast, central and southern regions.
Most of the mineral deposits in eastern Sudan are controlled by the Sudanese military, while the central and southwestern goldfields are primarily under the control of the RSF.
Much of the gold is extracted through artisanal and small-scale mining, which employs hundreds of thousands of people but mostly operates outside of government regulation.
Since the war began in 2023, control of gold mines and trade routes has become an important source of funding for both sides in the conflict.
Local news agencies reported in July that despite the conflict, Sudan’s gold production surged to 64 tonnes in 2024, a 53% increase from 41.8 tonnes in 2022, generating $1.57 billion in legal export revenue. Adding to the instability, unquantified black market transactions continue.
The United Arab Emirates bought more than 99% of Sudan’s $1.03 billion gold exports in 2023, according to the Economic Complexity Observatory.
Who are Sudan’s main trading partners?
Approximately 80% of Sudan’s exports go to Asia, followed by 11% to Europe and 8.5% to Africa.
In 2023, the UAE was Sudan’s largest trading partner, importing $1.09 billion, or 21% of Sudan’s total exports, almost all of which was gold. China is in second place, importing $882 million (17%), mainly vegetable products.
This was followed by Saudi Arabia, with $802 million (16 percent) worth, mostly livestock. Malaysia holds $470 million (9%), mainly crude oil. and Egypt, with a product mix of $387 million (7.6%).
These five countries account for more than two-thirds of Sudan’s exports.
Sudan overview
Sudan is Africa’s third largest country, with an area of approximately 1.9 million square kilometers (718,000 square miles).
As of 2024, it will have a population of 50.5 million people, with most of its inhabitants concentrated along the Nile and in urban centres. The Khartoum metropolitan area has a population of approximately 7 million people, and Nyala in South Darfur has a population of approximately 1.15 million people.
Other major cities are El Obeid (560,000), Port Sudan (547,000), Kassala (411,000), Gadarif (364,000), El Dine (265,000), El Fasher (253,000), Ad Damazin (186,000), and Juneina. (163,000 people), Guerreida (120,000 people), and Atbara (108,000 people).
