SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Telegraph - How Putin prepared for sanctions with tonnes of African gold

3/3/2022: Telegraph - How Putin prepared for sanctions with tonnes of African gold, by Tom Collins

The Telegraph report that Russia smuggled hundreds of tonnes of illicit gold from Sudan over the last few years as part of wider efforts to build “fortress Russia” and ward against the possibility of increased Ukraine-related sanctions.

The Kremlin has more than quadrupled the amount of gold held in Russia’s central bank since 2010, and started to hold more gold than US dollars for the first time in June 2020.

While official statistics suggest that Sudan exports hardly any gold to Russia, an executive of one of the largest Sudanese gold companies told The Telegraph that the Kremlin is the largest foreign player in the country’s huge mining sector.

Sim Tack, cofounder of Force Analysis, a consultancy specialising in conflict, said Wagner Group Russian private militia personell  in Sudan are “very focused on protecting the gold mining efforts”.