21 August 2020

The explosives factory that was meant to receive the Rhosus’ cargo also shares an address with ExploAfrica, a company co-owned by the Vieira family. Confidential corporate and government documents shared by the Conflict Awareness Project, a U.S.-based nonprofit, show that ExploAfrica and its affiliates were investigated by South African and Portuguese authorities for obtaining U.S. and Czech weapons that later ended up in the hands of rhino and elephant poachers in South Africa’s Kruger National Parks on the border with Mozambique.

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2019: Follow The Guns: An Overlooked Key To Combat Rhino Poaching and Wildlife Crime

A CAP Report by Kathi Lynn Austin

Four-year, six-country investigation implicates gunrunners and corrupt officials driving rhinos to the brink of extinction.

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How to hunt down the world’s most dangerous arms dealers

Kathi Lynn Austin talks to Sarmishta Subramanian about the front line of the illicit weapons trade, where she fraternized with those who run it while gathering evidence to thwart their enterprise.

by Sarmishta Subramanian

Jan 15, 2020

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The Pillage of Eastern Congo Gold:

A Case for the Prosecution of Corporate War Crimes

A CAP Briefing Report by Kathi Lynn Austin

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Results of Ms. Austin's nine-year international investigation of an unlawful conflict gold enterprise originating in the eastern DRC. Foreign companies have taken advantage of armed conflict to make millions of dollars in illegal profit, while incentivizing war and widespread atrocities.

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Doc Film Follows the International Trail of "Dirty Gold"

Follow CAP ED Kathi Lynn Austin as she visits gold mines in DRC, collects evidence from smugglers in Uganda, and works to bring a legal case against Swiss processors and other parties.

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Watch the free trailer or see the complete doc for a small fee, and support this important work.

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"A Short Film About Guns" Wins

Best Short at Tribeca

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Directed by Minos Papas, the film features CAP founder Kathi Lynn Austin, former child soldier Ishmael Beah, war photographer Paul Conroy, and Rear Admiral (ret.) Stuart Platt, who recount their experiences with the black market trade in areas of conflict and how the unlawful flow of weapons across the globe facilitates loss of life and devastation.

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View 2013 TFF Winners

UK Authorities Called to Act on “Blood Gold” Case Following Ruling

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February 5, 2014 – A key ruling by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court gave momentum to a war crimes case against Swiss refining giant, Argor-Heraeus SA, alleged to have laundered millions of dollars of looted gold from the DRC. The three NGOs behind the case, call on the UK and Jersey Channel Island authorities to  swiftly investigate the two British firms that were the primary traders of the gold at issue.

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UN and Control Arms Fete Passage of Landmark Arms Trade Treaty

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CAP ED Kathi Lynn Austin was honored to be selected by Control Arms for inclusion in their 50 Celebrating 50 initiative, featuring photos and quotes from 50 political leaders, survivors, and campaigners who have worked to make the ATT a reality. The exhibit was displayed at UN headquarters in New York in Fall 2014, and is currently available for viewing online.

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INTERVIEW: Intl Weapons Trafficking Ring Exposed in Mauritius

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CAP ED Kathi Lynn Austin speaks about an international gunrunning operation, centered in Mauritius, which was found to covertly transport weapons and ammunition into UN-sanctioned conflict zones. Austin discusses CAP’s investigation into this gunrunning ring, as well as the steps the government of Mauritius took to disrupt traffickers’ operations, launch its own investigation, and cooperate with other countries to prevent dealers from setting up elsewhere.

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INTERVIEW: Bongani Bingwa speaks to Kathi Lynn Austin, Executive Director of Conflict Awareness and Arms Trafficking investigator

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Not much is known about small arms trafficking, a global industry worth billions of dollars that feeds into many criminal syndicates. One woman has been tracking the dangerous network of illegal weapons for over 20 years … and her recent three-year investigation has revealed a huge network of illegal firearms that supply poachers with guns in the Kruger.

Published Jun 25, 2018 2:30 AM

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July 2022

The Global OC Index found Ukraine as one of the largest arms trafficking markets in Europe, especially when it comes to small arms and ammunition.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited the Soviet's large military stockpiles on its territory, and some were trafficked from Ukraine to the rest of Europe and beyond.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainians have been using whatever weapons they can find to defend their homeland.

How has the conflict affected the smuggling of weapons? And how will it continue to do so in the future?

Find out more as Thin Lei Win talks to Mark Galeotti, Kathi Lynn Austin and Viatcheslav Avioutskii.

Copyright 2022 Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

How Ukraine Intends to Control Arms Smuggling

Von Matthias Gebauer und Fritz Schaap

July 19, 2022

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"Even before the war, Ukraine was a hub for arms and people smugglers, and they don't just stop because there's a war," says arms smuggling expert Kathi Lynn Austin.

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Weapons captured by the Russians: Geharh of the world sale  |  Photo: Sergei Ilnitsky / EPA

Forest Elephant Mission: A Rebalance Earth Partnership Project

The poaching of elephants in Africa has a ripple effect that reaches around the world and impacts you and me. When forest elephants are killed for their ivory, the old growth forests that they garden lose much of the biodiversity upon which human life depends, along with the forest’s full capacity to protect us from climate change. 

Read More About The Problem and The Solution Here

Advancing the U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Relationship: A Mexico Initiative Town Hall

DECEMBER 8, 2022
VIKTOR BOUT IS RELEASED FROM U.S. PRISON

A 15-year long investigation and conviction of arms trafficker Viktor Bout, commonly known as "The Merchant of Death", has ended in his early release from U.S. prison in swap with Russia for WNBA star Brittney Griner. LEARN MORE