Abdel Fattah al-Burhan offered to Russia gold, copper and other minerals extraction sites during his meeting with Vladimir Putin on 30 October 2026. The advertisement does not specify any concession granted or investment paid. At the same time, the Sudanese central bank is seeking to improve the repatriation of gold export earnings.
An offer of mining cooperation
According to the official Sudanese report released by SUNA on 30 October, the President of the Sovereignty Council presented this offer to the Kremlin, on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit. It called for the implementation of economic cooperation projects and the signing of relevant documents at an appropriate date in Moscow.
The same report attributed Vladimir Putin a desire to remove obstacles to cooperation and to develop partnerships between companies. However, these declarations do not detail the proposed sites, operators or financial conditions of a holding. The public supply does not, therefore, at this stage measure the revenue that could return to the Sudan.
Export earnings at the centre of a meeting
Another case concerns gold sales already made. According to the report published by SUNA on 2 November 2026, the Governor of the Central Bank convened in Khartoum the Minister of Mines, private exporters and the relevant supervisory bodies. Participants discussed the difficulties associated with the payment of export earnings.
In particular, discussions focused on pricing taking account of global prices, limits and restrictions on transfers, and improved procedures. Diversification of export markets was also on the agenda. The authorities say they want to facilitate the arrival of currencies through official channels, while reconciling the interests of the State, producers and exporters.
This report describes discussions and directions. It does not lead to the conclusion that a new regulation has already come into force. Nor does it link the difficulties examined by the central bank to the projects proposed to Russia.
The context of the war economy
In an intervention published by the United Nations on 3 July 2026, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk denounced the economic interests fuelled by the Sudanese war. He named gold and cattle among the important resources, alongside the gum arabic.
This general alert precedes the offer made in Moscow. It does not demonstrate that the projects announced in October fund hostilities. To assess its economic effects, operating conditions, beneficiaries and actual payments remain to be determined.
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