McDowell Speaks with CNN About Russia’s Gold Mining Operations in Sudan

August 4, 2022

CNN

Daniel McDowell

Political Science Department

Comparative Politics/International Relations Speaker Series

Africa (Sub-Saharan)

International Affairs

Russia

CNN

Daniel McDowell

An investigation by CNN uncovered an elaborate Russian scheme to plunder Sudan's riches in a bid to fortify Russia against increasingly robust Western sanctions and to buttress Moscow's war effort in Ukraine. This is not the first time Russia has meddled in Sudan's gold: Its invasion of Crimea in 2014 prompted a slew of Western sanctions and gold shipments provided an effective way of accumulating and transferring wealth.

"The downside of gold is that it's physical and a lot more cumbersome to use than international wire transfers but the flip side is that it's much harder if not impossible to freeze or seize," says Daniel McDowell, sanctions specialist and associate professor of political science.

Read more in the CNN article, "Russia is plundering gold in Sudan to boost Putin's war effort in Ukraine."