Latest News
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The sentencing of DRC War Lord Thomas Lubanga
Bahati Jacques, AFJN’s Policy Analyst, on InFocus/Voice of America on the sentencing of DRC War Lord Thomas Lubanga
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World Student Christian Federation calls for a response to Violence against Christians in Nigeria with love and Prayer
by World Student Christian Federation We recognize the vulnerability the Nigerian people feel in their places of worship to be a violation of their right to worship publicly. We hope the federal government of Nigeria will be more strategic in its attempts to protect Nigerian citizens. The WSCF also echoes the call of Christian leaders…
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War Lord Thomas Lubanga sentenced to 14 years: whose victory?
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has charged the Democratic Republic of Congo’s war lord, Thomas Lubanga, with recruiting and using child soldiers in his rebel movement in Ituri. Lubanga has been sentenced to 14 years in jail, however he will serve only eight because he already spent six years in detention in The Hague. While…
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A New Scramble for Africa: Land Grab & Dispossession of People
From Around Africa, by Aniedi Okure, Executive Director A new scramble for Africa akin to the frenzy that followed the Berlin conference of 1885 and the partitioning and colonization of Africa is on; farmlands and minerals are the biggest attraction. The increasing discourse of land scarcity, the rising cost of food and the growing demand…
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U.S Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
Author: U.S. Department of StateCategory: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and LaborDate Written: 2011 Summary & Comment: The Department of State documents yearly human rights reports on countries around the world. For example, in the case of Rwanda “There were several reports that the government attempted to commit arbitrary or unlawful killings within the country…
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U.S Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
Author: U.S. Department of State Category: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Date Written: 2011 Summary & Comment: The Department of State documents yearly human rights reports on countries around the world. For example, in the case of Rwanda “There were several reports that the government attempted to commit arbitrary or unlawful killings within…
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Great Lakes of Africa Coalition Calls for U.S. Action to End Instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo
A United Nations Group of Experts report has documented the Rwandan government’s support for rebel groups inside the Congo. Various media have reported that the United States Mission to the United Nations, headed by Ambassador Susan Rice had first attempted to block the report and after pressure has subsequently agreed to allow the publishing of…
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US Department of State’s Statement on the UN Group of Experts’ Report on Rwanda’s Support to Rebel Group M23 in D.R.Congo
Author: Victoria Nuland, Department Spokesperson Category: Press Release Rwanda-D.R. Congo Date: June 30, 2012 Document Origin: Office of the Spokesperson Comment: Will the US enforce its Public Law 109-456, “The Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security and Democracy Promotion Act of 2006”, Section 105 which says: “The Secretary of State is authorized to withhold assistance…
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U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa June 2012
Author: President Barack Obama and The White House Category: Sub-Saharan Africa Date Written: 14 June 2012 Document Origin: The White House Summary & Comment: President Barack Obama has announced that the U.S. is taking a four-pillared approach in its’ new strategy toward sub-Saharan Africa. The first of these is to “Strengthen Democratic Institutions”, which means…
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The Bureau of African Affairs Mission
Author: Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson and the Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs Category: Sub-Saharan Africa Document Origin: The State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs Summary & Comment: The State Department lists five pillars as the foundation for U.S. policy toward Africa. The first is “Support for democracy and the strengthening of democratic institutions…
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Congo’s Faith Communities: A Q+A with Africa Faith and Justice Network’s Jacques Bahati
By Jayme Cloninger This interview was first published by Enough Project . Listen to the full interview here Congo is often depicted as a dark place so tainted by war and corruption that the humanity of those affected by conflict can barely peek through. In particular, these types of descriptions fail to convey the courage of the…
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Opening Statement of Senator Chris Coons
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2012 CONTACT: Ian Koski at 202-224-4216 or Ian_Koski@coons.senate.gov “Economic Statecraft: Embracing Africa’s Market Potential” Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs June 28, 2012 Slides that accompanied this statement can be found here: http://coons.senate.gov/download/june-28-sfrc-hearing-slides – As Prepared – I am pleased to convene today’s hearing of the African Affairs Subcommittee…
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D. R Congo Information Minister, Lambert Mende Omalanga accuses Rwanda of arming rebel group M23
Translated from French by Fidel BafilembaInformation from various and credible sources confirms the support from Rwanda to Bosco Ntaganda’s band and the existence of a pathway for recruiting fighters for Ntaganda in that neighboring country which, like the DR Congo, is member of the African Union, the Great Lakes Economic Community [or CEPGL] and the…
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U.S. Supporting Rwanda as it Destabilizes the Congo — Again
US Public Law 109-456 known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security and Democracy Promotion Act of 2006, Section 105 says: “The Secretary of State is authorized to withhold assistance made available under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), other than humanitarian, peacekeeping, and counter terrorism assistance, for a…
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NGOs send letter to members of Congress who support urgent release of Conflict mineral law rules
The Honorable Representatives: Carolyn McCarthy, Ranking Member, Gwen Moore, André Carson, David Scott, Maxine Waters, Jim McDermott, United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Re: Thank you for your Support of Dodd-Frank 1502 Dear Representatives, We, the undersigned organizations, and on behalf of our constituents from your respective districts who have been advocating for…
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Message of the Bishops of the Provincial Episcopal Assembly of Bukavu (ASSEPB) to the political authorities of our country Introduction
A multitude of armed groups in eastern DR Congo Ancient, violent warlords are constantly changing their name, but the motives and the players remain the same. Essentially, they did everything to escape the restructuring of the national army after the last wars of 1996 and 1998. Attempts at reform were made on the basis of…
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Do not designate Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization
Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 Dear Secretary Clinton: We are writing to urge you to not designate Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). We realize that Boko Haram is responsible for terrible violence against innocent civilians and the loss of hundreds…
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AFJN Protests William Penn University Hosting Paul Kagame
AFJN, in coalition with 8 other organizations, is protesting William Penn University’s decision to honor Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, by having him deliver their commencement address and continuing to partner with him and the Rwandan government. The President of the United States has long recognized that Rwanda is not a democracy, and many organizations have pushed…
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Congresswoman Waters Urges SEC to Require Transparency for Conflict Minerals and Payments to Foreign Countries for Oil, Gas and Mineral Extraction
PRESS RELEASEMay 11, 2012 Contact: Mikael MooreFor Immediate Release Phone: (202) 225-2201Washington – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), a long-time advocate for international human rights and assistance for impoverished nations, participated yesterday in a hearing on “The Costs and Consequences of Dodd-Frank Section 1502: Impacts on America and the Congo.” The hearing was held by the International…
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DR Congo conflict minerals: AFJN submits a statement for the record to US House Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade
On February 13, my colleague and I returned from a three week research trip in DRC on the effect of Dodd-Frank 1502, specifically on artisanal miners. We visited the Mukera gold mine located in Fizi Territory/South Kivu province and held a town hall meeting with artisanal miners and leaders of the community. We also met…
