Around 80% of the world’s gum arabic is harvested from Sudan’s acacia trees, which grow in the desert belt that stretches from Sudan’s western border with Chad to its eastern border with Ethiopia, covering an area of roughly 200,000 square miles. Gum arabic is a tasteless and odorless dried sap used as a stabilizer, thickening agent or emulsifier for many foods, drinks, cosmetics and medicines…The sap has become a key source of funding for both sides in the war, according to Sudanese traders. In addition to the RSF (Rapid Support Forces), a paramilitary group, collecting money through its control of most major agricultural routes, the Sudanese military—which runs the country’s de facto government—levies taxes and other tariffs on the gum arabic trade.

The U.S. has accused both sides in the conflict of committing war crimes. In September, 2023 the State Department slapped sanctions on two senior RSF commanders for their alleged involvement in ethnic killings, sexual violence and the looting and burning of communities, among other abuses. . Around 8.5 million Sudanese have been forced from their homes since the start of the war in April 2023. “Proceeds from the gum arabic exports are directly financing this fighting,” says Rabie Abdelaty, a Sudanese academic who has researched the gum arabic industry.

Despite these concerns, few companies have taken steps to make sure they are avoiding Sudanese gum arabic, based on interviews with manufacturers, suppliers and end-users. 

Excerpts from Alexandra Wexler, How Soda, Chocolate and Chewing Gum Are Funding War in Sudan, WSJ, May 23, 2024