During the 2003 Darfur uprising, Hemedti joined the Janjaweed militias, accused of burning villages, poisoning wells, and killing thousands of civilians.

Then-president Omar al-Bashir rewarded his brutality with rank, immunity, and control over Sudan’s richest gold mines.

Rise of a Gold Empire

Founded in 2013, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) quickly evolved into a parallel army loyal solely to Hemedti.

His fortune stemmed from Darfur’s mines managed through the Al-Junaid Group, owned by his family.

Between 2012 and 2022, about 2,569 tonnes of gold—worth roughly $115 billion—were extracted and smuggled out.

Each year, around 400 tonnes were funneled into war finance and siege logistics at the expense of the Sudanese people.

Smuggling Chain Through the UAE

In 2018, Sudan’s Minister of Trade Musa Karama confirmed the system, stating: “In 2015, about 102 tonnes of gold left Khartoum Airport for Dubai Airport.”

Gold flowed along the North Kordofan–Jebel Amir corridor, under RSF control, to Dubai, where it was re-priced and re-exported as “clean.”

Sudan’s underground wealth was thus laundered through the UAE’s financial system, each ingot fueling another phase of war.

The Human Cost of War

Flights from Abu Dhabi carried munitions to Chad and Darfur under the guise of humanitarian aid, while weapons trafficked via Uganda reached RSF frontlines.

This external support kept Hemedti afloat both militarily and economically. Since April 15, 2023, roughly 150,000 people have been killed and 11 to 14 million displaced.

With the fall of El Fasher, witnesses reported mass executions, sexual violence, and burned neighborhoods — a campaign of annihilation sustained by gold profits.