Conflict Financing, Sanctions, and Conflict Resolution in Sudan

This Capstone project examined the extent to which tools of economic pressure, including network sanctions targeting Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) business interests domestically and abroad, could be used more effectively to affect the calculations of warring parties and thus support a negotiated settlement.

This Capstone project assessed the underlying drivers of the ongoing conflict and the history of sanctions in Sudan. A scoring methodology was developed to assess their efficacy. Upon this foundation, the corporate networks of the two warring parties were explained, made concrete using open-source information, drawing particular focus to the complex web of external actor involvement. Rooted firmly in the evidence and analysis of these two sections, specific financial policy tools were recommended with a view to a reduction and/or cessation of the violence in Sudan.