George Clooney wants to expose the people and institutions profiting off of violence in Africa. The actor and humanitarian has teamed with activist John Prendergast to launch a new initiative called “The Sentry” with the help of the Enough Project. The site seeks to expose, track and analyze “how conflict is financed, sustained and monetized” through partnerships with journalists on the ground, NGOs and local governments. Essentially, through their reporting and data analysis, they hope to follow the money behind the conflicts and bring the banks, businesspeople and power brokers responsible to justice.
The site even allows users to share information anonymously that could lead to greater transparency into these networks. In a statement, Clooney said, “Real leverage for peace and human rights will come when the people who benefit from war will pay a price for the damage they cause.” Prendergast further explained, “The objective of The Sentry is to follow the money and deny those war profiteers the proceeds from their crimes.” On the site, the group says their goal is to “alter the incentives for funding or profiting from violence and mass atrocities” that have become commonplace in countries like South Sudan, Somalia, CAR and Democratic Republic of Congo.
