Latest News
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President Obama Announces the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
As evidenced by Obama’s recent trip, a U.S.-Africa partnership will be key to policy decisions in the future. One of the greatest movers in Africa are the youth. Recently, Obama unveiled a new scholarship program that will sponsor more than 500 young African leaders in formal university training. THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press…
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President Obama on the Crisis in Dem. Rep. of Congo
Before his trip, President Obama appointed a special envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa. During his trip to Africa, AFJN has urged the President to directly address the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Specifically, AFJN has requested that he support President Kikwete of Tanzania’s policy towards the Great Lakes region. AFJN has…
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President Obama Announces Power Africa
President Obama left for Africa last week on June 26, 2013. As his trip draws to a close, we would like to share the latest release from the White House about the new Power Africa program that the President announced in Cape Town, South Africa over the weekend. THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press…
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Spotlight on: Powerful African Women
Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda Fatou Bensouda of The Gambia was sworn in as chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in 2012. Justice Bensouda is the first ever international maritime law expert from The Gambia. She works constantly towards the goal of the ICC, as well as her own personal goal, to…
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President Obama should support President Kikwete’s policy for the Great Lakes region
US President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Tanzania in a few days as part of his second trip to Africa. We urge President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania to discuss with him his policy recommendations for peace in the Great Lakes region that he put forward during the recent African Union Summit in the Ethiopian…
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Senate resolution Concerning the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo passed unanimously
Source: http://www.coons.senate.gov FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, June 28, 2013 CONTACT: Ian Koski at 202-224-5042 United States Senate calls for stronger international commitment to sustaining peace in Democratic Republic of Congo Senate also welcomes appointment of Russ Feingold as U.S. Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region WASHINGTON – The United States Senate unanimously adopted a…
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The Committee for National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation
Opportunities and Challenges of Achieving the Mission South Sudan’s long track records of successive initiatives, combined with deep and fresh emotional wounds from the civil war suggest that the road to national healing, peace and reconciliation will be difficult. There are however, opportunities on which any attempt at reconciliation should be anchored. This framework will…
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Land: President Mugabe vs. Mike Campbell and the SADC Tribunal Demise
by Elizabeth Stack, AFJN Intern The Tribunal for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was established in 1992 and enacted by a protocol signed at a summit in Namibia in 2000 for the specific purpose of interpreting the provisions of the SADC treaty. The Tribunal was created to enforce the mutually agreed upon laws of the…
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Uganda: Senator Coons on the ongoing crack down on political dissent
This Press Release was issued by the office of Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs Senator Coons condemns Ugandan government’s violent suppression of political dissent FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 24, 2013 Peaceful gathering in Kampala drew violent reaction from police forces WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons…
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Letter to the New U.S. Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region, Senator Russ Feingold
A day after his appointment as the US Special Representative for the African Great Lakes region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 17 organizations, among them Africa Faith and Justice Network, published an open letter to Senator Russ Feingold outlining some policy priorities for region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in particular. …
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Advocacy Groups, Congo Experts Applaud Appointment of Feingold as Envoy
WASHINGTON — Nineteen advocacy groups and Congo experts applaud U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for his appointment of former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) as the new U.S. Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They congratulate Special Envoy Feingold in an open letter, and call…
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US Special Envoy: No cozy relationships with Africa Great Lakes’ heavy handed regimes
by Jacques Bahati Former Senator from Wisconsin, Russ Feingold, has been appointed US Special Representative for the African Great Lakes region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. National and international organizations have been calling for this appointment since 2006. Although Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) receives with optimism the appointment of the special…
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AFJN’s work on land grabbing mentioned in NCR
“When ants unite their mouths, they can carry an elephant,” says an African proverb.
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Investor Statement in Support of SEC Rule 1502 on Conflict Minerals
This statement is being issued by various investment groups who represent over $450 billion of assets under management. Included in the signatories of this statement are members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), a membership association of 275 faith-based institutional investors including religious communities and asset management companies; United Nations’ PRI: Principles for…
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The Economic and Development Problem of Africa: A Problem of Governance
By Aniedi Okure, OP – Executive Director, AFJN. Paper presented on the Occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network ( AEFJN), Brussels April 22-25 A close examination reveals that the problem has to do mainly with governance: the common good, resource distribution, citizens’ participation, transparency & accountability and economic justice….
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AFJN Now a Member of The Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA)
This article first appeared in the April-June 2013 Edition of Around Africa “The Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA) is a joint initiative among governments, companies, and civil society to support supply chain solutions to conflict minerals challenges in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes Region (GLR) of Central Africa….
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We urgently need your voice to help end 17 years of rape, kidnapping, and killings in D.R. Congo
Every day in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo there are news reports of kidnapping for ransom, targeted assassinations, rape and looting by armed groups. On May 15, H.Res 131, a resolution “Concerning the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the need for international efforts toward long-term peace, stability, and…
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Oxford University: Rwanda President Kagame is controversial, but welcome
Oxford University distanced itself from Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s presence on campus. He was invited by Oxford Business Network for Africa to attend their conference at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School on May 18, 2013. Characterizing President Kagame as a “controversial figure”, the university said that “this invitation and President Kagame’s presence in the Saïd Business School does not imply any endorsement by the School or the University of his views or actions.”
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D.R. Congo: Rwandan troops fighting alongside rebels to capture the city of Goma
Despite the international pressure, President Kagame remains defiant. For a month now, North Kivu civil society and others have reported increased crossings of Rwandan soldiers into DRC to help M23 and have called on the international community to take appropriate measures. They have identified among many Colonel Bingira, a Rwanda military officer who is currently…
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Answers to those challenging US conflict mineral law, section 1502 of Dodd-Frank
Today, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade held a hearing on the “The Unintended Consequences of Dodd-Frank’s Conflict Minerals Provision.” Africa Faith and Justice Network submitted a statement in support of this provision. Contrary to those who argue that Section 1502 of Dodd-Frank failed to achieve its intended objectives, we…
