The smuggled resource in your candy and soda funding Sudan's civil war

Sudan has historically been the top producer of gum arabic, a resin used in products such as Coca-Cola, M&M's, makeup, and pills. The country has been in civil war since 2023, displacing an estimated 14 million people and devastating gum arabic farmers, with gum trees cleared and US exports dropping. As Western companies look to Sudan's neighbors for supply, experts say smuggled gum arabic is funding the civil war and likely weapons purchases by paramilitary groups.

Read More