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Year: 2006

Congo Awaits Results of Groundbreaking Democratic Elections

August 4, 2006

The first multiparty elections in 46 years were held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday, July 31. At more than fifty thousand voting locations, approximately twenty-five million…

Catholic Church Considering Change to Stance on Contraceptives

August 3, 2006

The Catholic Church may be reconsidering its ban on condom use in all circumstances, recognizing the moral predicament faced by HIV-positive spouses, especially in Africa. At the end of April,…

Free Trade vs. Fair Trade

August 2, 2006

So often we hear the phrases “free trade” and “fair trade”  intermingled with economic reform and world trade talks. Which is better and why? What do these terms mean for…

Darfur Peace Agreement Failing as Security Deteriorates

August 2, 2006

The hope generated by the signing of the May 5 Darfur Peace Agreement has been shattered, replaced by an ever-growing sense of despair about the prospects for gaining peace. Only…

Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006

July 26, 2006

The violence in Darfur has received significant attention from humanitarian and advocacy groups around the world. Unfortunately, the United States government has stayed largely removed from the conflict, allowing genocide…

How Do Your Representatives Vote on African Issues?

July 26, 2006

One of the most important parts of advocacy work is having the capability and confidence to communicate with our government representatives. As citizens, we have the right to address our…

Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights Advancement Act of 2006

July 21, 2006

On June 27th, the International Relations Committee approved a bill “to encourage and facilitate the consolidation of security, human rights, democracy, and economic freedom in Ethiopia.” For several decades, Ethiopia…

Congolese Bishops Call for Peaceful Political Transition

July 11, 2006

The Catholic Church spoke with one voice making seven suggestions in a message of hope to the Congolese people. The Cardinal, Archbishops and Bishops, Standing Committee members of the national…

How You Can Help Advocate for a Peaceful Congo

June 26, 2006

The best way to receive timely updates and alerts about how to be most effective in advocating for a better future for the people of the Congo is to sign up…

Hope for a Unified Somalia

June 23, 2006

In early June of 2006, Islamic militants stormed Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu–site of the 1993 killings of 18 American marines, captured in the movie Black Hawk Down–and wrested control…

Congo Action Plan

June 22, 2006

Democratic Republic of the Congo is roughly the size of Western Europe. It’s establishment of a peaceful future is critical for the stability of the entire region. It’s difficult past…

HIV/AIDS Policy to Protect Life

June 21, 2006

AFJN works with faith-based and other organizations to bring a comprehensive understanding of the devastation of HIV/AIDS in impoverished countries in Africa.  U.S. leaders need to be encouraged to address…

Promote Reunification and Stability in Côte d’Ivoire

June 21, 2006

Since 2002, Côte d’Ivoire has been paralyzed by a divide between the rebel-held North and the army-controlled South. The instability began in 1999 when General Robert Guei organized a coup…

Day of the African Child

June 20, 2006

On June 16th, the world celebrated The Day of the African Child to commemorate student uprisings in Soweto, South Africa in 1976.  Demanding a better quality of education, thousands of black school children took…

End Human Rights Abuses in Zimbabwe

June 14, 2006

Since President Robert Mugabe began seizing white-owned farms in 1999, the country has been plunged into a state of severe economic and political decline. Though whites in Zimbabwe made up…

“Americans Urge Bush Over LRA”

June 8, 2006

“Americans Urge Bush Over LRA” Ugandan New Vision article about AFJN petition on northern Uganda

Election Date Set for DRC

May 1, 2006

DRC: Elections to be held on 30 July, polls body says (IRIN) Independent Electoral Commission Chairman Apollinaire Muholongo Malumalu announced on Sunday that Presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on July 30th.  The first…

Fear of HIV/AIDS Explosion in War Affected Southern Sudan

April 17, 2006

(IRIN News) Health experts are concerned that southern Sudan, emerging from more than two decades of civil war, may experience a major HIV epidemic due to high numbers of refugees…

Thousands of HIV-positive Babies Born Daily

April 12, 2006

The World Health Organization issued a report saying about 2,000 children of HIV-positive mothers in the developing world are born with the disease on a daily basis because the mothers…

Sudan vice president not opposed to U.N. in Darfur

April 12, 2006

KHARTOUM, March 27 (Reuters) – U.N. forces can enter Darfur if their mandate is clearly defined, to relieve underfunded African troops monitoring a shaky truce in the western region, Sudan’s…