Sudan: The ‘Conflict Economy’ of Sesame in Ethiopia and Sudan

How the sector has become entangled in local and transnational conflict, and how policymakers need to respond

The sesame trade is no longer just a mainstay of local livelihoods in Ethiopia and Sudan. Amid civil war and territorial rivalry on both sides of the border, it now plays a central role in a conflict economy that perpetuates violence and political instability.

Competition to control sesame revenues has reshaped local agricultural markets, and provided a strategic motivation for conflict…