Press Conference: Groundbreaking Investigation to Reveal War Profiteers Fueling Corruption-Driven Conflict in South Sudan

George Clooney and John Prendergast, co-founders of The Sentry, join Don Cheadle and investigative team to present findings in Washington, D.C.

WHAT:   On Monday, September 12, The Sentry, an investigative initiative co-founded by John Prendergast and George Clooney, will present the findings of a groundbreaking two-year investigation into the networks of South Sudan’s senior officials and their international facilitators, whose violent competition over corruption opportunities has turned their country into one of world’s deadliest war zones.

During Monday’s press conference, Clooney, Cheadle, Prendergast, and members of the Sentry team will discuss the findings of this investigation and feature a question-and-answer session with attending media. The Sentry is a collaboration between the Enough Project and Not On Our Watch, with their implementing partner the Center for Advanced Defense Studies.

The Sentry will release a report summarizing the results of nearly two years of following the money in South Sudan’s shadowy war economy and the links to an array of international facilitators and enablers, which include bankers, arms dealers, and businessmen.  This will be the first public presentation of The Sentry’s multi-country investigations into the links between massive corruption and armed conflict.

The Sentry brings together an experienced team of investigators, including former employees of the FBI, Treasury Department, other government agencies, intelligence communities, and Congress, as well as contributions from field researchers, country experts, academia and press. Researchers pored through thousands of pages of legal records, corporate filings, financial statements, transaction and shipping documents, and other official correspondence; tracked suspects’ online social media footprints; and utilized satellite imagery to gather and analyze data about their assets and movements. Investigators traveled to multiple locations including Melbourne, Adelaide, Addis Ababa, Kampala, Juba, Cairo and Nairobi, to gather evidence and interview hundreds of experts and eyewitnesses, many of whom spoke under the condition of anonymity.

WHO:   The Sentry co-founders George Clooney and John Prendergast, Not on Our Watch co-founder Don Cheadle, report author J.R. Mailey and key Sentry investigators. Interview opportunities with report authors should be requested prior.

FOR MEDIA:    Credentialed media are encouraged to attend the press conference. Please RSVP for the press conference (include your full name and media outlet) to [email protected]

LOCATION:    THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB, Holeman Lounge
529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20045

DATE/TIME:     Monday, September 12, 2016
10:00am – 11:00am ET

LIVESTREAM:  For media unable to attend the press conference in person, a livestream of the event of the event will begin at 10:00 am ET at www.thesentry.org/live

About THE SENTRY
The Sentry seeks to disrupt and dismantle the networks of military officers, government officials, businessmen, arms dealers, bankers, and other enablers who benefit financially and politically from Africa’s deadliest conflicts. Our investigations follow the money from conflict zones and into global economic centers, using open source data collection, field research, document collection, and state-of-the-art network analysis technology. The Sentry provides information and analysis that engages civil society and media, supports regulatory action and prosecutions, and provides policymakers and the private sector with the information they require to take effective action. Co-founded by George Clooney and John Prendergast, The Sentry is an initiative of the Enough Project and Not On Our Watch (NOOW), with its implementing partner C4ADS. Current countries of focus are South Sudan, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and the Central African Republic.  Learn more at TheSentry.org