The Sentry

U.S. Sanctions Removal on Mining Magnate Would Set Back Peace and Investment in DR Congo The U.S. can help end looting, smuggling, and violent extraction of raw materials from the DRC and provide a better footing for peace.

The Trump admin is might remove anti-corruption #sanctions on mining magnate Dan Gertler, write John Prendergast and Sasha Lezhnev.

The authors say the move would significantly undermine U.S. efforts to broker peace in the DRC and access critical minerals:

www.justsecurity.org/122097/drc-p...

Who wins when F1 comes to Azerbaijan? See through the smoke with “Aliyev Empire,” our massive investigative project which maps the secret $13 billion empire amassed by the daughters of Azerbaijan's president amid the regime's corruption and brutal repression. atlas.thesentry.org/azerbaijan-a...

Mercenary Meltdown - The Sentry August 2025 Download the full report The first Wagner Group fighters arrived in Bamako in January 2022 to assist the Malian military junta in its counterterrorism campaign. Three and a half years late...

The Russian Wagner Group operations in Mali have created chaos and instability, resulting in paranoia and fractures within the Malian military junta.

Our new investigative report reveals what led to this moment: thesentry.org/reports/merc...

August 23 marked the two year anniversary of the death of Wagner Group's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.

What's happened with Wagner Group's operations since then? The Sentry will be releasing new details in an investigative report this Wednesday. Stay tuned...

Sign up: thesentry.org/email-signup

Adut Kiir, daughter of President Salva Kiir, took the oath to become presidential envoy today. She's been involved with at least seven companies that are critical to South Sudan's economy. Dig into the links between the Kiir family and South Sudan's economy: atlas.thesentry.org/kiirdom/netw...

F1: The Movie goes live on streaming services today.

But behind the excitement and glam of the track, the UAE is also funding something far darker: genocidal militias and war in Sudan.

Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, F1 will you choose silence and fame, or will you speak out on Sudan?

Azerbaijan: Aliyev Empire - Atlas Project Azerbaijan Aliyev Empire Two sisters, 148 companies, a $13 billion fortune. Search By People Companies Assets The Project In Azerbaijan, two sisters dominate the business world. Leyla and Arzu Aliyeva...

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Behind the optics lies endemic corruption and repression. Aliyev Empire maps how President Aliyev’s family amassed a $13 billion fortune during his time in office, while jailing his critics: atlas.thesentry.org/azerbaijan-a...

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And Aliyev, long criticized for authoritarianism, media repression, and widespread corruption, is now being portrayed as a regional statesman and peace maker.

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The agreement leaves many critical issues unaddressed, including the 23 Armenian prisoners captured by Azerbaijan during the Karabakh conflict, who are facing a sham military trial in Baku for alleged terrorism.

The peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan has rightly been described as historic — but it is also a peace washing PR coup for President Ilham Aliyev. 🧵

Evidence from the UN and human rights groups show that 23 Armenian detainees, including prominent leaders, are being held in prisons in Baku absent independent oversight.

“Aliyev Empire” digs into the kleptocratic regime behind the repression in Azerbaijan: atlas.thesentry.org/azerbaijan-a...

An Ever-Watchful Sentry From exposure toward impact: What happens after publication?

When we publish an investigative report, that's not the end of the story—in fact, it's just the beginning.

In our latest Sidebar blog, we reveal the often-overlooked work that takes place behind-the-scenes to ensure our investigations make a lasting impact: medium.com/the-sentry-s...

🇦🇿 🇦🇲 Leaders meet. Deals are made. Yet 23 Armenians are still detained, without fair trials, in Azerbaijani prisons with reports of torture.

Meanwhile, President Aliyev's daughters have amassed a fortune. “Aliyev Empire” exposes their financial empire: atlas.thesentry.org/azerbaijan-a...

Red Cross ‘Stripped Of Access To Armenian Prisoners In Azerbaijan’ Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will no longer be able to visit Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, according to their relatives in Armenia.

Will justice for the 23 ethnic Armenian detainees be part of the equation? www.azatutyun.am/a/33490203.h...

🇦🇿🇦🇲 Tomorrow, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will sit down together at the White House. But justice is still missing.

“Aliyev Empire” reveals the massive kleptocratic theft that's a hallmark of the Aliyev regime. atlas.thesentry.org/azerbaijan-a...

Washington Should Prioritize Transparency and Sanctions in Congolese Critical Minerals Deal Peace between Rwanda and Congo is good news, but more pressure is needed to make it stick.

DR Congo: US & European pressure brought DRC & Rwanda to the table. It’s time to double down. Network sanctions and clear transparency in minerals deals can help solidify the peace process. The Sentry's Sasha Lezhnev & John Prendergast today in @foreignpolicy.com: foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/05/w...

Power and Plunder - The Sentry June 2025  Download the full report In November 2018, the United Nations lifted sanctions on Eritrea, including a two-way arms embargo banning both the import and export of arms, after a successful…

🇪🇷 “Power and Plunder” reveals industrial-scale pillage during and after the war in Tigray.

Explore our latest investigative report and its recommendations:

Grassley, Fetterman Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Art Market Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. John Fetterman...

We're happy to see a step towards cleaning up an opaque industry! Financial secrecy shouldn't be hanging in a gallery.

New bipartisan legislation, the Art Market Integrity Act, is taking aim at the shadowy corners of the US art world.

www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/re...

🔴 NEW INVESTIGATION: A decade‑long ban for Guernsey adviser tied to the family of an Azerbaijani oligarch 🇦🇿
A collaboration with @thesentryorg.bsky.social
forbiddenstories.org/daphne-proje...
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Eritrea Rearming Risks Regional Destabilisation: US NGO Eritrea is rebuilding its army and still destabilising its neighbours, particularly Ethiopia, following a 2018 decision to lift an arms embargo, according to a report by an American rights monitor.

A lack of accountability for EDF human rights violations and industrial-scale looting in Tigray increases the risk of a renewed conflict.
Read the AFP piece in @Barrons.com spotlighting our newest investigative report "Power and Plunder".
www.barrons.com/news/eritrea...

Power and Plunder - The Sentry June 2025  Download the full report In November 2018, the United Nations lifted sanctions on Eritrea, including a two-way arms embargo banning both the import and export of arms, after a successful ca...

Power and Plunder: Our latest report uncovers new evidence that the Eritrean Defense Forces were responsible for systematic looting and cross-border illicit financial activities.

What does this mean for the threat of renewed violence in Tigray?

Learn more: thesentry.org/reports/powe...

🚨 The London Bullion Market Association announced that it will require all refiners (~70% of the global gold market) to disclose all high-risk suppliers in 2026.

Thanks LBMA, this is a welcome step.
www.lbma.org.uk/articles/lbm...

Justyna Gudzowska and John Prendergast were in The Hague this week with more than 100 @postcodeloterij.bsky.social partners as the Postcode Loterij announced $363 million raised for charities in the past year.

The Power of the Postcodes is incredible and we are grateful for their partnership.

Targeting Dynamic Illicit Financing Networks with Blocked Pending Investigation (BPI) Listings - The Sentry June 2025 Download the briefing The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) appears to have a renewed interest in a sanctions tool first used in 2001: blocking individu...

Did you know that public blocked pending investigation (BPI) listings can be a valuable tool to counter corrupt networks?

Our new report explains BPI listings and highlights opportunities to enhance the impact of the tool to disrupt illicit financial networks.

thesentry.org/reports/bpi-...

Is Sudan’s war the reason for South Sudan’s economic crisis? What’s really going on with oil revenue Oil’s importance to South Sudan’s economy is often exaggerated – the bigger challenge facing Juba is its inability to secure new loans.

"The war in Sudan has a significant yet multifaceted impact on South Sudan’s economic health. But Juba’s biggest challenges are internal."

theconversation.com/is-sudans-wa...

Threats Lurk Behind the Scenes in Azerbaijan’s Talk of Peace With Armenia Azerbaijan's push for peace with Armenia masks its expansionism and business dealings that should raise alarms for the global community.

Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is at risk. Baku’s recent moves may signal pressure—not progress.

Read the latest from John Prendergast in @JustSecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/114128/threa...

Threats Lurk Behind the Scenes in Azerbaijan’s Talk of Peace With Armenia Azerbaijan's push for peace with Armenia masks its expansionism and business dealings that should raise alarms for the global community.

Continued fighting might be more likely than peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev persists with territorial expansion and worrying business deals, writes @thesentryorg.bsky.social ’s John Prendergast:

www.justsecurity.org/114128/threa...

An Ever-Watchful Sentry From exposure toward impact: What happens after publication?

When we publish an investigative report, that's not the end of the story—in fact, it's just the beginning.

Read our latest Sidebar blog to find out how we work behind-the-scenes to ensure our investigations make a lasting impact: medium.com/the-sentry-s...

M23 has killed, tortured civilians at detention sites in Goma M23 has killed, tortured and forcibly disappeared detainees, held some as hostages, and subjected them to inhumane conditions at detention sites in eastern DRC

#DRC: Rwanda-backed M23 are killing, torturing, and holding civilians hostage at detention sites in Goma. Their actions may amount to war crimes, according to a new investigation @amnesty.org.

www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...

The Deadly Global Gold Rush How to stop the illicit mining and trade that fuel war and repression.

Every year, over $30 billion in illicit gold circulates worldwide, often originating from conflict zones and authoritarian states.

Sasha Lezhnev and John Prendergast delve into how this underground economy fuels wars and supports oppressive regimes: www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...