Golden Opportunities: A case study of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces' gold supply chain and its place within the global economy

Abstract

A significant amount of economic activity around the world takes place in the illicit global economy or the shadow economy, where money and trade flows are hidden from authorities and violent non-state actors operate to make money or obtain necessities for violent combat. through the laundering of goods and capital, licit economic activities might indirectly support or enable violent activities elsewhere. While prior research has theorised on the topic of illicit globalisation and some have analysed elements of the illicit economy, there is still a need to take a security perspective in analysing how violent actors make use of the global illicit economy and the role globalisation has played in that process. This dissertation explores the interactions between illicit and licit markets and shines a light on how a violent non-state actor capitalises on economic opportunities provided by the economic globalisation of illicit markets. It not only studies the enabling role of illicit globalisation but also paints a picture of a complete illicit supply chain. An instrumental case study has been conducted into an illicit gold supply chain which starts with gold sourcing under the control of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces and moves into the licit global gold market via Dubai, a central gold trading hub,...