A de facto Sudan UAE flight ban and related port restrictions have severely reduced legal gold exports from army-controlled areas, driving the Sudanese pound down by nearly 40% and worsening shortages of fuel and wheat, Reuters reports. The UAE, historically Sudan’s largest destination for gold, stopped commercial flights and shipping from Port Sudan in early August, a move Sudan blames on diplomatic rifts tied to its civil war.
Sudan’s central bank data show the UAE imported roughly 90% of Sudan’s legal gold exports in the first half of 2025, about 8.8 tonnes worth almost $840 million, revenue the government used to finance critical imports. Traders and officials say the suspension of flights and shipments has choked that lifeline, pushing the pound from around 2,200 to 3,600 per USD in weeks.
What Reuters found and why it matters
- Flight and port restrictions: Reuters reports the UAE halted commercial flights from Port Sudan and stopped certain shipping traffic to/from Sudan, citing the Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority, shipping notices and industry sources. These moves effectively severed the main legal channel for Sudan’s gold exports to the global market.
- Economic knock-on: With gold receipts a primary source of hard currency for the army-controlled government, the loss of UAE market access removed a key import financing route. Traders told Reuters the shift increased smuggling activity via Egypt and diverted flows to secondary buyers in Qatar, Oman and elsewhere, but volumes and prices changed unfavourably for Sudan.
- Political context: Sudan’s army accuses the UAE of supporting the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF); the UAE denies backing the RSF. The diplomatic rupture underlies the trade restrictions and complicates quick fixes.
Timeline, quick bullets
- Early August 2025: UAE suspends commercial flights from Port Sudan and curbs port shipments. Reuters reported the development in August.
- H1 2025: UAE accounts for ~90% of Sudan’s legal gold exports (~8.8 tonnes, ~$840m), per Sudan central bank data.
- Oct 2025: Sudanese pound drops from ~2,200 to ~3,600 per USD as traders report disrupted export revenues and shifting smuggling routes.
Policy implications & industry impact
- Aviation and logistics: The UAE’s move illustrates how state-level aviation or port restrictions can quickly sever a country’s primary export channel. Airlines and freight operators must account for geopolitical risk when scheduling services and insurer risk models may adjust premiums for routes with diplomatic frictions.
- Economy and trade: Loss of legal gold export routes reduces hard-currency inflows, pressures exchange rates, and increases costs of essential imports. For Sudan, that translates directly into higher fuel and food prices in army-held areas.
- Smuggling and re-routing: Traders report that interdictions have pushed gold flows through intermediaries in Egypt, Qatar and Oman, with much re-export ultimately reaching UAE markets, a pattern that complicates enforcement and leaves the underlying demand unchanged.
What’s next? Industry outlook
- Short term: Sudan will seek alternative buyers (Egypt, Qatar, Oman). Airlines and shippers may try ad hoc logistics workarounds, but capacity and price inefficiencies will persist. Watch for official UAE statements or international mediation efforts that could lift restrictions.
- Medium term: Structural reorientation of trade channels will raise transaction costs. If the UAE-Sudan rift endures, Sudan’s economy risks prolonged currency weakness and higher import bills, with knock-on effects for aviation demand and logistics viability.
Sources & further reading
- Reuters, Sudan pound suffers as de facto UAE flight ban hits gold exports, Khalid Abdelaziz & Nafisa Eltahir, 21 Oct 2025.
- Reuters, earlier report: Sudan says UAE bars Sudanese planes from landing at its airports, Aug 2025.
- Bloomberg, coverage of UAE trade ban effects on Sudan, Sep 2025.
- Financial Times, analysis of UAE block on Sudan shipments and trade implications, Oct 2025.
