South Sudan is hemorrhaging around 5 tons of gold every year through smuggling routes that run into Uganda and Kenya before the metal ends up in Dubai refineries, and a SWISSAID report says the entire operation bypasses any official oversight or tax collection. Tens of thousands of miners are digging up the gold using basic hand tools in remote parts of Central and Eastern Equatoria, but armed groups and corrupt officials are running the show while foreign traders lowball the workers with garbage rates paid in worthless local currency or straight-up barter deals.
The street value of this shadow economy hit $270 million back in 2022, which could have actually helped stabilize the country's budget instead of funding militias and perpetuating conflict. Smugglers are moving the gold on motorcycles and trucks across weak borders, then flying it out through Entebbe or Nairobi airports, with some shipments leaving directly from Juba. The UAE imported $27 million worth from South Sudan recently, and most of that paperwork is sketchy at best, while miners are stuck dealing with child labor issues and dangerous working conditions for scraps.
The street value of this shadow economy hit $270 million back in 2022, which could have actually helped stabilize the country's budget instead of funding militias and perpetuating conflict. Smugglers are moving the gold on motorcycles and trucks across weak borders, then flying it out through Entebbe or Nairobi airports, with some shipments leaving directly from Juba. The UAE imported $27 million worth from South Sudan recently, and most of that paperwork is sketchy at best, while miners are stuck dealing with child labor issues and dangerous working conditions for scraps.
