On 9 October 2025, the Pan-African Agenda Institute (PAAI), in partnership with The Sentry and the Open Society Foundations, co-hosted a high-level virtual discussion on accountability, illicit finance, and conflict prevention in the Horn of Africa.
The event centred on the findings of a major investigative report titled “Power and Plunder: The Eritrean Defense Forces Intervention in Tigray.” The report presents extensive evidence of industrial-scale looting and trafficking during and after the Tigray conflict (2020–2022), including the extraction and illicit trade of gold and antiquities, as well as grave human rights violations.
Beyond documenting patterns of plunder, the report details widespread atrocities—including gang rape, torture, kidnapping, and mutilation—carried out during the conflict. It further warns that ongoing illicit financial networks linked to Eritrean actors continue to pose risks of renewed instability in Ethiopia and across the wider Horn of Africa.
The virtual convening brought together policymakers, diplomats, civil society leaders, researchers, and accountability advocates from Africa, Europe, and North America. Distinguished speakers from PAAI, The Sentry, and the Open Society Foundations presented key findings from the investigation and examined the broader implications for peacebuilding and regional security.
Participants explored how conflict-related looting and illicit financial flows not only enrich armed actors but also undermine post-war recovery, distort governance systems, and entrench cycles of violence. The discussion emphasised that sustainable peace requires more than ceasefires—it demands financial transparency, justice for victims, and credible accountability mechanisms.
The dialogue also focused on practical tools available to the international community and regional actors, including targeted financial measures, sanctions enforcement, asset tracing, and diplomatic pressure. Speakers underscored the importance of aligning financial accountability efforts with local peace constituencies to prevent further atrocities and strengthen long-term stability.
Throughout the session, a central theme emerged: accountability and prevention are inseparable. Addressing the economic drivers of conflict is essential to breaking patterns of impunity and ensuring that war does not become a recurring instrument of political or financial gain.
By convening this timely conversation, PAAI and its partners reaffirmed their commitment to evidence-based advocacy, principled diplomacy, and collective action aimed at promoting justice, preventing renewed conflict, and safeguarding peace in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the broader Horn of Africa.
Moderator: Mooya Nyaundi, Open Society Foundations
Speakers:
- Prof Mehari Taddele Maru, Executive Chair, PAAI
- John Prendergast, Co-Founder, The Sentry
- Laura Ferris, Illicit Finance Policy Director, The Sentry
- Antoni Sastrebel, Fellow, Pan African Agenda Institute
Image: VOA/WikiMedia