Acacia Gum: the link between your groceries and the war in Sudan

We consume acacia gum daily - a natural binder and stabilizer found in cola, lipstick, wine, and chewing gum. About 80% of this gum comes from Sudan. Since the war there began more than two years ago, production and trade have been severely disrupted by plundering, extortion, and illegal smuggling. Yet it still sits on our supermarket shelves - often without us realizing it.

Sudan is experiencing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis: millions of people are displaced, 25 million suffer from hunger, and sexual violence is systematically used. The war is partly financed by revenues from natural resources. Gold plays a central role in this, but increasing evidence — including from our own research — points to a similar role for acacia gum. Armed groups profit from extorting producers, looting supplies, and imposing illegal fees on domestic transport — practices that strongly indicate conflict financing.

Acacia gum is a fragrance- and flavorless resin from acacia trees. Its stabilizing and binding properties make it a popular ingredient in food products like soft drinks, candy, and licorice, as well as in cosmetics, medicines, printing ink, and glue. While it also grows in other African countries, Sudan offers the best growing conditions and has historically had the most developed production.

Acacia gum is one of the few agricultural products still harvested in Sudan despite the ongoing war. However, a large share of the profits from its trade appears to end up with the warring parties. The majority of acacia forests lie in areas controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while other parts of the supply chain are controlled by the government army (SAF). Both parties are accused of serious human rights violations. This situation makes it increasingly difficult and dangerous for producers to harvest the gum. Buyers and traders also face risks at the hands of armed groups: they are extorted, blocked, or robbed, while these groups also loot warehouses and sell the seized gum themselves.

Much of this gum travels through neighboring countries to ports in Libya, Cameroon, and Kenya, and from there to Europe and the rest of the world. Large European processing companies purchase this gum, often without conducting thorough due diligence — investigating origins, trade routes, and potential human rights abuses. It then ends up in well-known brands found in everyday products. In this way, an ingredient from your shopping basket contributes to financing one of today’s largest conflicts.

Worldwide, there is only a handful of major companies processing acacia gum, including European players from France and Germany. According to international standards and national laws, they are obliged to investigate their supply chains. Although many claim their gum is ‘conflict-free,’ our findings and those of other experts indicate otherwise. We call on them to take their responsibility seriously and be transparent. Greater openness, awareness, and joint action by consumers, processors, and traders are essential to make truly conflict-free products possible.