Dear Supporter,

Today the Enough Project released a new report, “The Criminalization of South Sudan’s Gold Sector,” exploring how weak transparency and accountability frameworks leave South Sudan's gold sector vulnerable to exploitation. Looking at the gold-rich Eastern Equatoria region, the report reveals how poor infrastructure, inefficient regulation, and political infighting have helped make artisanal and small-scale gold mining an ideal target for capture by those who seek to finance armed groups, perpetrate violence, and exacerbate divisions.

This new report offers background and context to last week’s investigative report by The Sentry into South Sudan’s burgeoning mining sector. "Untapped and Unprepared," the latest report in the series "The Taking of South Sudan," detailed how government officials with significant discretion over the mining sector may be benefiting financially from South Sudan’s minerals, particularly in Eastern Equatoria.

In order to stop armed actors and kleptocratic networks from controlling one of the country's most promising revenue streams, international and regional policymakers, regulators, and financial institutions must exert financial pressure and use diplomatic tools to alter the calculations and behavior of those who perpetuate large-scale violence through the gold trade. Exposing and disrupting the criminal networks that facilitate the depletion of South Sudan’s most valuable natural resources can help end the exploitation of communities in Eastern Equatoria’s gold mining areas and throughout South Sudan.

Read “The Criminalization of South Sudan’s Gold Sector” for deeper insight into this region.

Sincerely,

Brian Adeba
Deputy Director of Policy
The Sentry and Enough Project