War Losses in Sudan Mining Sector Hit $7 Billion

22 February 2026

February 21, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese minerals official said on Saturday that the sector’s losses have reached $7 billion due to the ongoing 34-month war.

Sudan’s public and private sectors have been subjected to looting and sabotage due to the conflict, leading to the total or partial loss of infrastructure and losses ranging from millions to billions of dollars across various sectors.

Ahmed Haroun al-Tom, Director of the General Authority for Geological Research, said in a statement that “the losses of the mining sector in Sudan due to the war amounted to about $7 billion.”

He revealed that the authority’s activities have shrunk from 18 states before the outbreak of the war to only 6 states currently, directly affecting research, exploration operations, and public revenues.

He stated that the authority has begun importing modern technologies and advanced machinery to enhance its technical capabilities, following the resumption of its operations in the capital, Khartoum, rather than Port Sudan.

State institutions that moved to Port Sudan in eastern Sudan after the outbreak of the war have returned to resume their activities in Khartoum, including the Sovereign Council and the Council of Ministers.

Ahmed Haroun al-Tom explained that before the war, the authority possessed “above-average” technologies in research and exploration, but these were lost due to the conflict. The new technical package includes geophysical devices, remote sensing techniques, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), in addition to specialized technologies in geo-engineering and geophysical studies.

He pointed out that the effects of the war were not limited to a decline in field activity but also extended to the disruption of evaluation and exploration programs, which negatively affected investment flows and revenues associated with the minerals sector.

Sudan ranks third in Africa and thirteenth globally in terms of the diversity and volume of mineral wealth. According to the Sudanese General Authority for Geological Research, about 75% of the country’s mineral resources still require detailed exploration and evaluation.

In December last year, the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company, the regulatory arm of the Ministry of Minerals, announced a surge in gold production, with total output reaching 70 tonnes, the highest in the previous five years.