By: Reuters

Britain on Thursday targeted what it said was illicit gold and finance networks fuelling Sudan's war, imposing sanctions on 11 individuals and entities.

The war, which started in 2023 between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces, has displaced millions of people.

Britain's latest sanctions package targets an RSF financier it said was suspected of helping fund the group's operations through a network of Dubai-based real estate, gold and holding companies.

Others sanctioned include RSF-linked procurement operatives and two United Arab Emirates-based companies.

The package also includes a Hong Kong-based company and three Sudanese state-owned mining companies Britain said were linked to funding the army's war effort.

The European Union also targeted Sudan's gold tradein its sanctions on Monday over the war.

Official Sudanese gold exports were worth about $1.5 billion in 2024 and 2025, Britain said, estimating that billions of dollars' worth of gold was smuggled abroad each year through illicit channels.

Britain also warned that El Obeid, a strategic city in central Sudan, was at risk of a mass atrocity and called for the U.N. arms embargo to be extended to cover the area.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Muvija M)