Washington, DC – The 30th Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union from January 28-29 will focus on: “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.”
Experts from the Enough Project and its investigative initiative, The Sentry, are available for comment and analysis.
John Prendergast, Founding Director at the Enough Project and Co-founder of The Sentry, said: “Grand corruption represents the cancer eating away at all that Africans across the continent are trying to accomplish. Particularly nefarious is corruption’s contribution to deadly conflict, as kleptocratic systems often require extreme violence to repress opposition or independent voices for reform. Civil society groups like ours stand ready to provide information to authorities willing to take action against those robbing Africa’s state coffers and natural resources. A successful effort at curbing grand corruption could lay the groundwork for peace and development throughout the African continent.”
Brian Adeba, Deputy Director of Policy at the Enough Project, said: “At this summit, Africa’s leaders should begin to take steps to collectively strengthen systems of accountability required to eliminate the corruption that has fueled some of the continent’s horrific conflicts.”
Brad Brooks-Rubin, Policy Advisor at the Enough Project and Policy Director at The Sentry, said: “We welcome the African Union’s commitment to combat corruption but await concrete results. The Enough Project and The Sentry’s research has shown that grand corruption is central to the deadly crises in East and Central Africa. The urgency of the crises demands that African Union member states follow through with specific actions against corrupt actors and networks. Across the continent, governments of regional political and financial leaders, including Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, and their banks must play a leading role in combating the laundering of state assets and disrupting the corrupt networks most responsible for human rights violations, mass atrocities, and financial misconduct.”
Explore our recent reports on South Sudan, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Central African Republic:
- Breaking Out of the Spiral in South Sudan: Anti-Money Laundering, Network Sanctions, and a New Peacemaking Architecture
- War Crimes Shouldn’t Pay: Stopping the Looting and Destruction in South Sudan
- Weapons of Mass Corruption: How Corruption in South Sudan’s Military Undermines the World’s Newest Country
- Sudan’s Deep State: How Insiders Violently Privatized Sudan’s Wealth, and How to Respond
- A Criminal State: Understanding and Countering Institutionalized Corruption and Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Strategic Pressure: A Blueprint for Addressing New Threats and Supporting Democratic Change in the DRC
- Bankrupting Kleptocracy: Financial Tools to Counter Atrocities in Africa’s Deadliest War Zones
- Violent Kleptocracies: How They’re Destroying Parts of Africa and How They can be Dismantled
For more reports, visit:
For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact: Greg Hittelman, Director of Communications, +1 310 717 0606, [email protected].
About THE ENOUGH PROJECT – an anti-atrocity policy group
The Enough Project supports peace and an end to mass atrocities in Africa’s deadliest conflict zones. Together with its investigative initiative The Sentry, Enough counters armed groups, violent kleptocratic regimes, and their commercial partners that are sustained and enriched by corruption, criminal activity, and the trafficking of natural resources. By helping to create consequences for the major perpetrators and facilitators of atrocities and corruption, Enough seeks to build leverage in support of peace and good governance. Enough conducts research in conflict zones, engages governments and the private sector on potential policy solutions, and mobilizes public campaigns focused on peace, human rights, and breaking the links between war and illicit profit. Learn more – and join us – at www.EnoughProject.org.