Dear Supporter,

On a recent trip to the Central African Republic, I met a woman in her mid-20s named Adjara who shared her story with me. She came from a town close to major gold mining operations controlled by armed groups. Early one morning, she was jarred awake by gunfire—a government-supported militia was attacking her neighborhood. As she ran to the mosque carrying her infant son, militiamen attacked her with machetes, killing her little boy. The men then took Adjara to a room, and, over the course of 72 hours, repeatedly sexually assaulted her. She was only able to escape when one of them recognized her and told the others to let her go. He had been her neighbor.

Adjara and I talked for a long time about what is happening in her beloved country. When I asked her what would stop the crisis, she said, “Justice is the only way our hearts can be at peace.” Talking to Adjara and other survivors, it became clear that justice isn’t just in a court of law. Justice involves creating financial accountability for those who violently loot the gold mines near her home and for the government officials who profit from the destruction of her community.

This is what we aim to do here at The Sentry. We follow the looted money and provide evidence to governments and banks so that meaningful action is taken against war criminals and their international accomplices.

We will keep fighting for a better future for the people of East and Central Africa. We want people like Adjara to live in a world free of mass corruption and extreme violence.

Every gift we receive from now until midnight on December 31st will be matched dollar for dollar, which means that your gift will have double the impact. We’re grateful for your support and we hope that you will consider making an end-of-year gift today to help us continue our efforts to achieve peace in East and Central Africa.

Happy Holidays,

John Prendergast
Co-Founder of The Sentry and the Enough Project