Gum Arabic Conflicts: When 'Commerce' Obscures Proxy Wars
Al Jazeera reports that Sudan's civil war is fueled by the lucrative gum arabic trade, a critical ingredient in everything from soft drinks to pharmaceuticals. This natural commodity, with Sudan holding a reported 70–80% global market share before the war, provides a convenient economic explanation for the ongoing violence. One might ask, however, who benefits most from an unstable Sudan, rich in
resources and strategically positioned? While focusing on local factions vying for control, this narrative often downplays the consistent involvement of external actors—from the U.S. and Europe to Gulf states and Russia—who have eyed Sudan’s resources and strategic location for decades. Remember Darfur? That conflict, too, had resource control at its core, framed then as humanitarian crisis, now
simply as 'gum arabic fueling war.' It’s the same old tune: local struggles, global sponsors, same bloody outcome.