Jacques Bahati
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Reform (Action 8): AFJN advocates for an inclusive UNSC representing a broader spectrum of nations. Decisions affecting global peace must include representatives from the countries and continents most impacted by insecurity. Diverse voices from the diverse cultures must be represented to ensure that no select few would monopolize the resolutions.
Join us at Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2023, April 25-27, a virtual conference to worship, educate, and advocate for the innovative and courageous policies needed to realize God’s promise of peace. Our theme is “Swords into Plowshares: Achieving Enough for All & Pursuing Peace.”
We now know that the DRC’s insecurity has external causes starting with its neighboring countries to the East. Rwanda and Uganda, have been accused of supporting armed groups in the DRC for their own political and economic interests, mainly fueled by international demand for DRC’s natural resources. According to S/2022/967, the Midterm Report of the UN Group of Experts published in December 2022, the United Nations has officially established that Rwanda is involved in a proxy war against the DRC in the guise of the M23 rebel group. Local and foreign armed groups have been fighting for control of territory and resources that include minerals, timber, and wildlife. This has resulted in gross human rights abuses and widespread insecurity, leading to the violent massacre of countless innocent lives and displacement of civilians.
Join the Africa Faith and Justice Network and Friends of the Congo for “Crisis in the Congo: Voices from the Frontlines” with Justine Masika and Pascal Mugaruka, recently arrived in Washington, DC from Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They will provide firsthand accounts of the atrocities, displacement and occupation being carried out by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia. They will also share policy prescriptions that U.S. policymakers can implement in order to contribute to peace and stability in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In our ministry, we celebrate the strength and power of women worldwide, and send a resounding shoutout to the important role of Catholic nuns whose tireless passion for social justice has helped advance the rights of women in Africa for 40 years.
Join us in solidarity with the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for a live-streamed gathering that will feature reflections from faith leaders, musicians, activists, renowned figures and ordinary people who have come together to demand an end to conflict and appeal for accountability and peace in the DRC.
Since 2014, Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) has been educating Ghanaians about the dangers of agro-colonialism, a new form of colonization by foreign multinationals and agents of non-African countries who are taking over Africa’s agriculture sector. For Ghana, this simply means a sinister takeover of Ghana’s food production system in order to ensure that Ghanaians remain food dependent.
Since 2014, Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) has been educating Ghanaians about the dangers of agro-colonialism, a new form of colonization by foreign multinationals and agents of non-African countries who are taking over Africa’s agriculture sector. For Ghana, this simply means a sinister takeover of Ghana’s food production system in order to ensure that Ghanaians remain food dependent.
A fish farm project has turned into a nightmare for the people of Gbabgavuinu and Torgodo. Huawei Agriculture Development Center (HADC), a Chinese agriculture company registered in Asutuare in Eastern Region/Ghana, used heavy-duty equipment to build a T-shaped water wall to bank the water of a lagoon, which includes a small lake called Aklakpa. This created a fish farming pond that soon after flooded nearby farmland, destroying crops. The more it rains, the more it floods, threatening livelihoods and homes.When the community demanded compensation for what had been lost, HADC packed up and abandoned the project. Naturally, water from the lagoon drained into a stream that is an affluent of the Volta River.
Who Polluted Kelor and Kolor Water Streams? The people of Kelorkpo (in North Tongu in Battor) are facing an even more devastating challenge: pollution of their water streams: Kelor and Kolor. The two streams important to their livelihoods are allegedly contaminated by runoff water from a corn farm belonging to a company called Kop Farms. Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) learned this information on August 31, 2022 during the town hall meeting in Kelorkpo to promote awareness on land grabbing and responsible investments.
The Africa Faith and Justice Network invites you to a discussion, “Reforming the UN Security Council: Why it must be on the US-Africa Leaders Summit Agenda ” Naledi Pandor, Minister for International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa said that “It is unacceptable that 77 years after its establishment 5 nations wield disproportionate decision making power in the United Nations system as a whole.”
The Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) is hosting an online event on the ongoing Rwanda-Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Crisis. The event “End it : Rwanda-DR Congo Crisis” on August 25, 2022 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET will feature voices from the DRC who will provide updates and analysis. The panelists will also examine the role of the international community in the more than two decades long crisis. The event will also feature Q&A from the audience where audience members may speak and submit their comments on Zoom. This online event is free and open to the public.
As organizations that work to combat corruption and promote accountability in government, we write to express our strong support for the Establishing New Authorities for Businesses Laundering and Enabling Risks to Security (ENABLERS) Act as amended.
The ENABLERS Act represents a major, bipartisan opportunity to close the loopholes in U.S. law that are allowing corrupt foreign leaders to finance military aggression and repressive, undemocratic regimes by stealing money from their people and hiding that money in the United States.
Ahead of your August 2022 meetings with leaders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) (a non-partisan coalition of 28 US-based religious communities) urges frank discussions on the following issues: Rwanda’s violations of DRC’s territorial integrity, bad governance in the DRC, and reasons why the UN peacekeepers should leave.
Votre Sainteté, nous vous prions de mentionner ces problèmes dans votre message aux citoyens des pays hôtes, aux dirigeants politiques africains et à toutes les personnes de bonne volonté dans le monde. Faites savoir aux personnes affectées que nous ne sommes pas indifférents à leur souffrance et que nous ne souhaitons pas être complices par notre silence.
Votre Sainteté, nous vous prions de mentionner ces problèmes dans votre message aux citoyens des pays hôtes, aux dirigeants politiques africains et à toutes les personnes de bonne volonté dans le monde. Faites savoir aux personnes affectées que nous ne sommes pas indifférents à leur souffrance et que nous ne souhaitons pas être complices par notre silence.
We write to bring to your attention some of the current challenges the continent of Africa is facing. We ask to use your offices to mobilize once again the whole of Africa to find adequate solutions.
We, the undersigned organizations, thank the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for issuing a historic $650 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) in August 2021 to respond to the unprecedented global economic crisis caused by Covid-19 pandemic. The resources were a lifeline for developing countries.
March 23, 2022 The Honorable Senators (Sent to All 100)United States SenateWashington, D.C. 20510 Re: Urge US Senate to Support Special Drawing Rights Recycling Dear Senators, We the undersigned faith-based…
AFJN welcomes Salena Geahwie as our 2022 Spring Intern. Salena is a senior at Trinity Washington University, where she is majoring in political science with a minor in English. Salena contributes to the Trinity community through numerous activities such as the black student alliance, poetry slams, and “Herstory”, an oral history class that focuses on the legacy and evolution of Trinity; she conducted interviews of Trinity alumni on their experiences at Trinity.
