VICE: Following the Money to Help Stop War in Africa?
Over the past 30 years, more than 2.5 million people have died in the various conflicts that have decimated Sudan. Brutal Janjaweed militias, responsible for many of the worst atrocities committed in Darfur, have been equipped by, supported by, and integrated into the Sudanese government’s state security apparatus. As such, the Janjaweed get financial benefits from the government, and are shielded from prosecution for any crimes committed on duty by Sudan’s 2010 National Security Act.
International aid organizations have faced expulsion from the country for their work, the United Nations has been accused of covering up the extent of the problem, and Western government efforts have had a limited impact. Now, a new initiative is hoping to finally have an impact on conflict in Africa by hitting the warlords and corrupt officials where it really hurts — their bank balance.
Headed by George Clooney and John Prendergast — founding director of the Enough Project and former director of African Affairs at the National Security Council under US President Bill Clinton — the new project, The Sentry, will track the financial flows that drive armed conflict in what they call Africa’s “violent kleptocracies”: South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.