In this essay for The RUSI Journal, The Sentry’s Executive Director, Justyna Gudzowska,  examines the role of illicit financial flows in sustaining armed conflict and calls on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to address conflict financing directly. Justyna explores how money laundering, sanctions evasion, and illicit gold trading help fund wars, with examples from Sudan, the […]

In response to President Salva Kiir’s dissolution of South Sudan’s transitional government, Brian Adeba, Senior Policy Advisor at The Sentry, issued the following statement: “President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional government tonight, ostensibly to prepare for December elections. This is being presented as adherence to the 2018 peace agreement. It is not. The agreement committed […]

Three years into the Alliance of Sahel States’ air war, The Sentry’s new report asks who is accountable when civilians are killed? September 16, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – Three years after Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger established the Alliance of Sahel States, a new report by The Sentry examines the opaque and unaccountable chain of […]

Last week, the European Union (EU) announced an import ban on all gold from Sudan, which stood in contrast to the UK government’s newly announced network sanctions on gold traffickers in Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While the EU’s concern about Sudan’s deadly conflict gold trade is laudable, the ban is not likely […]

Note: This op-ed was originally published in Just Security and was authored by Brian Adeba, a policy advisor with The Sentry. As South Sudan’s political crisis deepens and the risk of renewed civil war grows, the country’s leaders are betting on gold as the next engine of economic growth. But across the border in Sudan, gold […]

Note: This op-ed was originally published in Common Dreams and was authored by John Prendergast, co-founder of The Sentry. A funny thing happened on the way to the NBA Championship Finals this season. Despite being die-hard Celtics fans, my six-year-old son and I fell in love with Jalen Brunson of the rival New York Knicks. We’ve […]

Note: This op-ed was originally published in Just Security and was authored by Eric Friedman and John Prendergast, co-founder of The Sentry. This year’s NBA playoffs have been a remarkable success, with historic comebacks and overtime thrillers, helping to draw the most viewers in decades. Tragically, this success on the court comes during a dark moment for […]

Note: This op-ed was originally published in Zeteo and was authored by John Prendergast, co-founder of The Sentry, and Omer Ismail. The UAE has been accused of supporting the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary, which has committed some of the worst atrocities in Sudan’s three-year civil war. As the National Basketball Association (NBA) finals get underway, the […]

UAE Spends $4.5 Billion on Sportswashing While Facing Accusations of Backing Genocidal Militia in Sudan WASHINGTON, D.C. — As millions tune into the NBA playoffs, a coalition of human rights organizations and Sudanese activists today launched a campaign urging the National Basketball Association to suspend its commercial brand sponsorship deal with the United Arab Emirates […]

Note: This op-ed was originally published in Common Dreams and was authored by John Prendergast, co-founder of The Sentry, and Sasha Lezhnev, a senior policy advisor at The Sentry. The league must rethink its commercial partnership with Rwanda, whose army and senior officials the US government recently sanctioned for backing a deadly armed group that is committing […]

Note: This op-ed was originally published in The New Arab and was authored by Justyna Gudzowska, Executive Director of The Sentry. Libya’s sovereign wealth fund needs better governance before UN sanctions can be eased, argues Justyna Gudzowska. On 11 April, the United States brokered a unified spending framework for Libya, endorsed by both eastern and western factions—a sign of […]

28 April 2026 Ahead of the UK-hosted Illicit Finance Summit, a global coalition of 34 civil society organizations urges action to address the escalating role of illicit gold in financing wars, corruption, organised crime, and environmental and societal harms. Amid a wave of geopolitical instability and surging demand for the metal, gold is increasingly attractive […]

The Sentry’s investigation reveals that three major Russian military convoys reached Mali in early 2025, while Russian businesses in Guinea facilitated deliveries, and Africa Corps its presence across West Africa APRIL 21, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) — In the first five months of 2025, three large Russian-made convoys, including trucks, tanks, armored vehicles, and boats, reached […]

The Sentry’s new investigation finds Ahmed Gadalla is the linchpin of the Haftar family’s power—controlling banks, evading the UN arms embargo, distributing unauthorized dinar banknotes, and orchestrating multimillion-dollar fraud schemes to bankroll Field Marshal Haftar’s power ambitions at the expense of the Libyan public. APRIL 7, 2025 (Washington, DC) – A major new investigation by […]

The Sentry’s new investigation finds more than half of the Libyan Investment Authority’s assets can be actively managed. Analysis exposes a pattern of mismanagement, internal competition, and corruption.   March 24, 2026 (Washington, DC and London) – Fifteen years after the fall of Muammar Qadhafi, a UN asset freeze on the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) […]

In response to the US sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four senior RDF officials, The Sentry’s Senior Policy Advisor, Sasha Lezhnev, said: “Today’s sanctions send a strong signal to Rwanda to reverse its illegal invasion and illicit exploitation in eastern DR Congo or face harsher measures. The sanctions provide an incentive for […]

Note: This op-ed was originally published in Washington Post and was authored by John Prendergast, Co-Founder of The Sentry, and Geoffrey Mills. As lifelong friends from opposite sides of the Atlantic, we’re united by our devotion to Arsenal: our favorite soccer club in the English Premier League. As it is for many other Arsenal fans around the […]

RSF leader’s close links to property portfolio stands in stark contrast to the homelessness the war has inflicted on millions in Sudan February 24, 2026 (London and Washington, D.C.) – A new report by The Sentry reveals that the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Hamdan Dagalo, is closely linked to […]

In response to US sanctions on three RSF commanders, The Sentry’s Executive Director, Justyna Gudzowska, said: “With a UN fact-finding mission now pointing to genocide in El Fasher, the US government has sanctioned three RSF commanders for their roles in executions, ethnic killings, sexual violence, and deliberate starvation. It’s encouraging to see the US, UK, […]

In response to the UAE joining of the Trump Administration’s Board of Peace, The Sentry’s Executive Director, Justyna Gudzowska, said: “The UAE’s decision to join President Trump’s “Board of Peace” is deeply hypocritical. While Abu Dhabi presents itself as a champion of peace in Gaza, it’s credibly accused of helping fuel one of the world’s […]