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UN rights office report says Sudan's 'war economy' is fueling fighting; gum Arabic trade highlighted
Summary
A new report from the UN Human Rights Office warns that Sudan's war economy is sustaining the fighting and cites the trade in gum Arabic as a case study of how natural-resource trade can contribute to human rights abuses and conflict financing.
The UN Human Rights Office published a report that, according to the spokesperson, underscores how Sudan's so-called "war economy" is helping to sustain fighting by allowing warring parties to profit from the country's natural resources and trade.
The briefing singled out the trade in gum Arabic as a case study and described gum Arabic as an important source of income for millions of Sudanese. The spokesperson said the report "warns that the warring parties are increasingly profiting from the country's national resources and from trade," and urged governments and companies involved in the trade to take stronger steps to ensure their business practices do not contribute to human rights abuses.
The spokesperson also quoted the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (referred to in the briefing as "Mister Volker"), saying Sudan's vast natural wealth should benefit its people rather than fueling conflict and suffering.
The briefing noted the report examines the role of neighboring and transit states in the onward movement of Sudanese gum Arabic and called for governments and private sector actors to prevent their activities from sustaining the conflict.
