As U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres renews his call for an immediate halt to fighting in Sudan between the country’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, we speak with New York Times correspondent Declan Walsh about how the conflict is being fueled by the illicit gold trade. He reports that Sudan’s gold riches are being smuggled out of the country by both sides in order to pay for the drones, guns and missiles that have killed tens of thousands of people since the start of the civil war in April 2023. Much of that wealth is ending up in the United Arab Emirates, which backs the RSF despite mounting evidence of the group’s war crimes and crimes against humanity. “Gold is really at the heart of the RSF’s ascent to power,” says Walsh.