Dear Supporter,

At a time when South Sudan's government most needs to generate resources for urgent public health-related challenges, including COVID-19, one of its promising revenue streams is beset by mismanagement and corruption.

South Sudan’s rapidly developing mining industry could serve as a major boon to the country’s economy. Instead, corrupt actors have exploited weak transparency and accountability frameworks to hijack the extractives sector. "Untapped and Unprepared," The Sentry's latest report in its investigative series "The Taking of South Sudan," shows how opaque corporate landscapes and procurement processes can disproportionately benefit the country’s ruling clique and undermine scrutiny of possible misconduct.

Relatives and close associates of the president, former vice president, and lawmakers have held shares in companies with active exploration licenses without having to disclose their involvement. The military has developed mining interests in an effort to address budgetary shortfalls. Children have been identified as shareholders in two companies actively exploring for gold, a possible contravention of the 2012 Mining Act. Opposition groups profit from controlling artisanal mining sites, and widespread insecurity raises the potential for the same kind of resource-fueled conflict that has ravaged the oil sector.

To read the one-page summary or full report of Untapped and Unprepared: Dirty Deals Threaten South Sudan’s Mining Sector, please click here.

Sincerely,

John Prendergast
Co-Founder of The Sentry