SwissAid published on 21 November 2025 a document titled "Africa Gold Report: South Sudan."
Gold mining in South Sudan, a medium-size gold producer by African standards, is highly informal and illegal. Gold production is done exclusively by artisanal and small-scale mining methods. All the gold is exported outside formal channels. National and foreign armed groups are involved in its movement. South Sudanese authorities have failed to govern the sector effectively.
Foreign Affairs published on 27 February 2024 an article titled "Dirty Money Is Destroying Sudan" by John Prendergast.
A violent kleptocratic system is supporting both sides of the war in Sudan: Russia's Wagner Group, Egypt, and Iran in the case of the Sudan Armed Forces and the UAE in the case of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Sudan's gold covers the cost of some of this assistance for both sides. The author urges more Western sanctions on the offending external parties.
Power 3.0 posted on 5 September 2023 a commentary titled "After Wagner: Russia's Export of Kleptocracy to Africa" by Melissa Atem and John K. Glenn.
Authoritarian and kleptocratic mutual support networks such as the Wagner Group will continue to adapt in order to accommodate the goals of some African regimes.
The Royal United Services Institute published on 9 August 2023 an analysis titled "Defusing Diffusion: The Challenges for Peace-making in Sudan" by Michael Jones.
The analysis compares the prospect of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and paramiltary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the conflict in Sudan and the role of outside players. While the SAF has performed poorly so far, the RSF has its own limitations and challenges.
Just Security published on 5 June 2023 a discussion titled "Two Experts Debate the Path Forward on Sudan" by Ernst Jan Hogendorn, former adviser to the US Special Envoy for Sudan, and John Prendergast, human rights activist.
While the two experts generally agree on the reasons for Sudan's implosion, they disagree on what to do about it. Prendergast believes US policy should focus on undermining and ultimately dismantling the "kleptocratic cabals" of the leaders of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Hogendorn argues the focus should be on reaching a ceasefire and ending the fighting while dealing later with the ills of the SAF and RSF.
The South African Journal of International Affairs latest issue published "Russia in Africa: Who Is Courting Whom?" by Steven Gruzd, Samuel Ramani, and Cayley Clifford.
This is an introductory essay to an excellent special issue of the journal, which focuses on Russia's relations with Africa. The authors argue that Russia is resurgent in Africa, but Moscow is more like a "virtual great power" than a genuine challenger to European, American, and Chinese influence.
The authors conclude that Russia is a neo-colonial power dressed in anti-colonial clothes. They do not definitively answer the question raised in the title of the issue except to say that "Moscow is wooing African elites to serve its interests; African states are trying to play off Moscow, Washington, Brussels and Beijing for maximum advantage."
Foreign Policy posted on 25 January 2023 an article titled "How Russia's Wagner Group Is Fueling Terrorism in Africa" by Colin P. Clarke.
Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries are deployed to Sudan, Mali, and the Central African Republic to provide security to kleptocratic regimes in return for access to valuable commodities, including diamonds, gold, uranium, and other precious resources. The Wagner Group's presence in a country has energized jihadi groups and given Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates greater freedom of movement and space to operate.
Just Security published on 13 June 2022 a commentary titled "South Sudan: The Road to a Living Hell, Paved with Peace Deals" by James P. McGovern, Member of Congress, and John Prendergast, senior advisor to the Clooney Foundation for Justice.
The warring parties in South Sudan have signed numerous peace deals since 2014 to little positive effect. Corruption has become the hallmark of South Sudan and the relationship between the president and vice president remains volatile and full of mutual suspicion.
Foreign Policy published on 28 February 2022 a commentary titled "Targeted Sanctions Can Help Restore Democracy in Sudan" by Senator Chris Coons and John Prendergast.
The authors argue that the United States should invest in Sudan's resistance committees and other grassroots organizations with technical support and capacity-building resources, and by ensuring they are at the negotiating table during any political processes. In addition, Washington should implement a modern, comprehensive set of sanctions on leaders of the 25 October 2021 military coup and their financial networks such as the Defense Industries System to disrupt their revenue streams and their grip on power.
The Sentry published in November 2021 a study titled "The Backchannel: State Capture and Bribery in Congo's Deal of the Century."
DRC state enterprises used a middleman with accounts at the bank run by former President Kabila's brother to pump tens of millions of dollars into the pockets of the Kabila family, their associates, and businesses at crucial junctures in what are known as the Sicomines agreements. Chinese corporations colluded with power plays in the DRC to secure access to billions of dollars' worth of natural resources.
Foreign Affairs published on 11 November 2021 an article titled "Countering Sudan's Coup: The United States Faces a Crucial Test in Khartoum" by Alex de Waal.
The Biden administration's willingness to take action aimed at restoring the democratic transition in Sudan will be crucial in shaping political outcomes throughout the Horn of Africa and Red Sea Region.
The Sentry published in November 2021 a paper titled "A Strategy for Revitalizing Sudan's Democratic Transition" by Suliman Baldo and J.R. Mailey.
The military coup in Sudan brings the security services' warped incentive structures into public view. Confronting this problem head-on is essential for addressing Sudan's political crisis and revitalizing the transition to civilian rule. Sudan's security services are hijacking the state and preserving the kleptocratic system with their commercial holdings such as the Defense Industrial System.
The Sentry published in May 2021 a report titled "Sudan Struggles to Control Its Parastatals" by Suliman Baldo.
The author investigates the corruption found in Sudan's public companies and corporations owned by various state institutions, especially those registered with the Sudan Armed Forces and the General Intelligence Services.
