Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the extent of gold smuggling from Sudan by (a) people or organisations linked to the Wagner group and (b) other Russian actors; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of sanctioning Sudanese officials involved in facilitating that smuggling.

The UK has repeatedly emphasised the negative influence of Russian activities in Africa, including reports of Wagner Group involvement in the exploitation of gold resources in Sudan. Gold extraction and smuggling operations represent a significant loss to Sudan given the current economic crisis following the 25 October coup and undermine effective resource governance. The FCDO Director for East and Central Africa raised the issue of malign Russian influence directly with the Sudanese authorities during a visit to Khartoum at the end of July. We will continue to condemn Russia's activities in Africa and will consider all options to prevent gold smuggling in Sudan, including sanctions. However, we do not speculate about future sanctions as to do so might reduce their impact.