United Arab Emirates (gold market and banking channel)
Context only
AGrade A: Official recordStrongest record: official record
3 documented ties · 1 step from the SAF
Also recorded as: Dubai gold market; United Arab Emirates - gold import market (Dubai/Abu Dhabi); El Nilein Bank Abu Dhabi; Bank of Khartoum Abu Dhabi; UAE banking channel for Sudanese trade (status after the August 2025 embargo)
Listed as the main market for official gold exports and a banking channel, not as a supporter of the SAF. Sudan accuses the UAE of arming the RSF.
Despite Port Sudan's accusations that the UAE arms the RSF, the UAE bought ~97% of official gold exports from SAF-held areas in 2024 (US$1.52bn, 48.5% of all Sudanese exports) and 56% in 2025. Exporters preferred Dubai for finance availability (Finance Minister, April 2024). Trade collapsed after Sudan cut ties (6 May 2025) and the UAE halted flights and port traffic (early Aug 2025).
Their response
UAE Foreign Ministry said Sudan's severing of ties 'will not affect the deep-rooted and enduring ties' between the countries and called arms-supply accusations 'baseless' (Al Jazeera, May 2025).
n/a
Records
2
Each record carries its own grade. A grade describes the source for that record, not the actor.
AGrade A: Official record
United Arab Emirates - gold import market (Dubai/Abu Dhabi)
2023-04 to 2025-08
Despite Port Sudan's accusations that the UAE arms the RSF, the UAE bought ~97% of official gold exports from SAF-held areas in 2024 (US$1.52bn, 48.5% of all Sudanese exports) and 56% in 2025. Exporters preferred Dubai for finance availability (Finance Minister, April 2024). Trade collapsed after Sudan cut ties (6 May 2025) and the UAE halted flights and port traffic (early Aug 2025).
Response
UAE Foreign Ministry said Sudan's severing of ties 'will not affect the deep-rooted and enduring ties' between the countries and called arms-supply accusations 'baseless' (Al Jazeera, May 2025).
Sanctions
None found in OFAC SDN / EU / UK lists checked 2026-10-03
UAE banking channel for Sudanese trade (status after the August 2025 embargo)
2025-08 to 2026-09
STPT (April 2026): 'The rising trade tensions between the UAE and Sudan have spared the banking relationship to date'; Sudanese businesses keep accounts in the UAE and settle in dirhams, and extending the embargo to banking 'would have resulted in crippling impacts'. So the Abu Dhabi branch channel described in the first pass appears to have survived the break in relations. Separately, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank's Sudan branch was put into voluntary liquidation by central bank decision No. 18 of 2026 (reported 23 June 2026) at the parent's request.
Response
n/a
Sanctions
None found. No UAE Central Bank enforcement notice naming El Nilein Bank or Bank of Khartoum was found (one search; CBUAE notices are usually anonymised).
›Research notes
STPT's Economic Monitor #2 records an 'unverified investigative report' (6 Aug 2026, outlet named only as 'December', no public URL) alleging El Nilein Bank's new management filed complaints against defaulters owing SDG 73 trillion 'amid unconfirmed allegations of military-linked beneficiaries'; no official response. Grade D; lead only.
1 more relationship below grade A (corroborated, single-source or unverified). Change “Evidence shown” to see it.
Dated events
7
Global Witness reports that UAE refiner Kaloti bought gold from Sudan's central bank between 2012 and 2019; Kaloti denies sourcing conflict gold. globalwitness.org↗
CGrade C: Single source
UAE Attorney-General announces a foiled attempt to move about five million rounds to the SAF on a private aircraft (UAE state claim). thedefensepost.com↗
DGrade D: Unverified lead
UAE refers 13 individuals and six companies (including Portex Trade Limited) to the State Security Court over alleged ammunition trafficking for the SAF (UAE state claim; noted by UN FFM para 127). emirates247.com↗
DGrade D: Unverified lead
OFAC designates TMAC, Tariq Madani, SBL Energy, Alok Choudhari and Ports Engineering; cites Egyptian, Indian, Emirati and Turkish suppliers. home.treasury.gov↗
AGrade A: Official record
OFAC designates TMAC, its managing director Tariq Hussain Muhammad Madani, Ports Engineering, SBL Energy and Alok Choudhari; Egyptian, Emirati and Turkish suppliers described but not named. content.govdelivery.com↗
AGrade A: Official record
US lobbyist for the UAE embassy files with the Justice Department that it is distributing coverage of the Sudan chemical-weapons dispute efile.fara.gov↗
AGrade A: Official record
STPT paper on the shift of gold exports from the UAE to Egypt estimates 55 tonnes left Sudan off the books in 2025. sudantransparency.org↗
BGrade B: Corroborated
4 more events below grade A (corroborated, single-source or unverified). Change “Evidence shown” to see them.
3 more events at grade C (single source) or D (unverified lead). Change “Evidence shown” to see them.
2 more events at grade D (unverified lead). Change “Evidence shown” to see them.
Geography
Tags come from the recorded jurisdiction and from place names in the records. Coordinates on the map are approximate.
Based in
United Arab Emirates
Places
Port Sudan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi
Position in the network
Derived by analysing the documented relationships. Nothing in this section is a finding.
Still connected to the SAF when only official records are counted.