François Bozizé, dont la candidature à la présidentielle de fin décembre en Centrafrique a été invalidée, traîne une réputation sulfureuse: putschiste récidiviste devenu président, puis président renversé par un putsch, son nom est aussi associé aux pires heures de la guerre civile qui sévit depuis sept ans. Il est notamment accusé par les Nations unies […]

Tensions are building ahead of presidential and legislative elections this month in Central African Republic, amid friction between rival candidates and increasing violence by armed groups that still control much of the country despite a peace agreement signed almost two years ago. Among the candidates who have applied to stand for president on 27 December is former […]

Economic sanctions are a central component of U.S. and international efforts to address North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction programs and influence nearly every aspect of how North Korea engages with the world. However, the details of the North Korea sanctions regime are complex and often poorly-understand, and global implementation of these sanctions has been […]

      Industry Push on Global Gold Centers Can Reduce Conflict Gold Trade – Advocacy Groups Group of leading advocacy organizations say new London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) initiative on responsible gold has the potential to impact the conflict gold trade. Dubai is chokepoint for conflict gold: over $3 billion in high-risk gold including conflict […]

The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) recent move to check laundering and “conflict” gold by fixing some norms is being strongly opposed by at least three gold marketing centres, including India. The strongest criticism of the move has come from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government-owned DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre), one of the primary […]

Il traffico d’oro fomenta i conflitti e favorisce il riciclaggio. Lo afferma l’ultima ricerca di The Sentry (La sentinella), il progetto dell’organizzazione americana Enough! che si propone di smascherare le fonti economiche che fomentano e sostengono i conflitti armati. Il documento, Understanding money laundering risks in the conflict gold trade (Capire il rischio di riciclaggio di denaro nel commercio […]

A recent report from The Sentry focuses on North Korea’s illicit financing, shady business deals and U.N., U.S. and EU sanctions evasions. Principal authors Hilary Mossberg and John Dell’Osso join the NK News Podcast to talk sanctions and enforcement, cash-funneling programs for the North Korean government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mansudae Overseas Projects and how North Korean statue makers […]

On November 16, The Sentry’s Deputy Director of Policy Brian Adeba spoke to Voice of America’s South Sudan in Focus about The Sentry’s advisory “Understanding Money Laundering Risks in the Conflict Gold Trade From East and Central Africa to Dubai and Onward.” The interview begins at minute 5:05. Listen to the interview below or on the […]

The years-long rise in international gold prices has driven a new artisanal gold mining and refining rush in conflict-affected areas in East and Central Africa and has turned the United Arab Emirates into the foremost launderer of such gold, according to a new report from The Sentry. The policy center devoted to tracing dirty money connected […]

In its advisory, the Sentry said that the destination for 95 percent of the gold from East and Central Africa is Dubai, where criminal networks, armed groups and the corrupt use it for money laundering with these “conflict” gold. A move by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) to check laundering and “conflict” gold by […]

London’s gold market association has warned countries that are centres for trading the yellow metal that they risk being blacklisted as suppliers unless they ensure gold entering the market is responsibly sourced. The London Bullion Market Association wrote to countries including the United Arab Emirates, the US, UK and Switzerland saying there was a risk […]

L’inondation d’or des conflits à Dubaï liée au blanchiment d’argent et à la violence de masse 95% de l’or de l’Afrique orientale et centrale se dirige vers Dubaï, aux Émirats arabes unis, où des failles politiques permettent au commerce de l’or du conflit de prospérer Groupes armés, réseaux criminels et unités de l’armée responsables de […]

The world’s most influential gold market authority is threatening to stop bullion from countries including the United Arab Emirates entering the mainstream market if they fail to meet regulatory standards, a letter seen by Reuters showed. In the letter dated Nov. 6 addressed to countries with large gold markets, the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) […]

The Sentry is an investigative and policy team that follows the dirty money connected to African war criminals and transnational war profiteers and seeks to shut those benefiting from violence out of the international financial system. As part of our ‘Ask the Expert’ series, we ask senior investigator John Dell’Osso about The Sentry’s recent investigation, Overt Affairs, […]

The Sentry, in a new report, singled out the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) and National Salvation Front (NAS) as being involved in mining, taxing, and trading in gold to finance their rebel activities in South Sudan. The Sentry, a group co-founded by actor George Clooney and activist John Prendergast, released an advisory […]

On November 11, The Sentry’s Deputy Director of Illicit Finance Policy Megha Swamy spoke to the BBC World Service about conflict gold and The Sentry’s recent advisory “Understanding Money Laundering Risks in the Conflict Gold Trade From East and Central Africa to Dubai and Onward.” Her interview begins at minute 48:25. Click here to listen to the interview on […]

Advisory by The Sentry: Conflict Gold Flooding Into Dubai Linked to Money Laundering, Mass Violence 95% of East and Central Africa’s gold makes its way to Dubai, UAE, where policy loopholes allow for the conflict gold trade to flourish Armed groups, criminal networks, and army units responsible for rights abuses, atrocities, and corruption are profiting […]

It was to the sound of South Sudanese and Sudanese music that Sudan’s transitional government signed a peace agreement with various rebel groups operating on the peripheries of its vast and mostly arid territory in early October. The landmark deal was signed in South Sudan’s capital city Juba, reflecting a history of conflict and occasional cooperation between […]

Note: This op-ed originally appeared in Mediapart and was written by Nathalia Dukhan, Senior Investigator at The Sentry. La montée du sentiment anti-français en Centrafrique est avant tout le fruit d’une politique française qui conserve une forte emprunte coloniale. La République centrafricaine (RCA) prévoit d’organiser des élections présidentielles et législatives en décembre 2020. Pour se faire réélire, […]

Ventes d’armes, formations militaires, contrats miniers… La coopération bilatérale russo-centrafricaine ne cesse de monter en puissance au détriment de la France. Moscou étend ainsi son influence sur le continent africain en tentant d’y supplanter les pays déjà installés. Le “cadeau” a ravi la population de Bangui mobilisée pour l’occasion. Le 15 octobre, une dizaine de […]