Moscow’s Double Game in Sudan Is Crumbling

Sudan’s war has become a gold-fueled conflict, where control over mines means control over survival. As the Rapid Support Forces build a shadow economy from smuggled bullion, foreign powers are drawn into a murky trade that sustains the violence. Chief among them is Russia, which has tried to play both sides—arming the government while quietly enabling the rebels' gold-for-weapons networks. This balancing act once promised strategic influence, especially over Sudan’s vital ports. But as trust erodes and alliances fray, Russia’s double game risks collapsing under its own contradictions. The question now is not whether Russia will pay a price for its duplicity—but how high that price will be.