Dear Supporter,

Today, the United States sanctioned Ashraf Seed Ahmed Hussein Ali, widely known as Al-Cardinal, a tycoon with ties to the U.S., UK, and UAE, and his international network.

This action by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to target Al-Cardinal, an associate, and his network of businesses comes in the wake of two recent investigative reports by The Sentry, “The Taking of South Sudan” and “Al Cardinal: South Sudan’s Original Oligarch,” that detailed the business activities of Al-Cardinal, among others, and urged governments to sanction him and his networks.

The Sentry’s investigation found that Al-Cardinal has exploited opaque procurement processes, weak oversight institutions, and cozy relationships with South Sudan’s most powerful politicians to line his own pockets. The Sentry reports named Al-Cardinal as a major profiteer who has received hundreds of millions of dollars in suspect contracts, formed businesses with ruthless military commanders, and imported weapons to South Sudan used to wage a war that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

Sanctions against Al Cardinal and his network show how The Sentry’s approach to providing policymakers with the information they require to take effective action can translate into tangible results and impact.

Read the full report: “Al-Cardinal: South Sudan’s Original Oligarch”

Read the full report: “The Taking of South Sudan”

Sincerely,

John Prendergast
Co-Founder, The Sentry
Founding Director, Enough Project