Latest News
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Africa Night at the Xaverian Missionaries in Massachusetts
On Saturday, April 28, 2012 AFJN Executive Director Dominican Father Aniedi Okure and Policy Analyst Bahati Jacques conducted an information session at the Xaverian Missionaries community in Holliston Massachusetts. The session was organized by AFJN Board member and Xaverian Father Rocco Puopolo and attracted over sixty participants from the Boston Metro area. The session focused…
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D.R.Congo: International and National NGOs say security sector reform is overdue
On April 16, at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC, unveiled a new report by several organizations on the urgent need for security sector reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Panelists underscored, among other things, the lack of political will, funding by donors with no visible results, lack of soldiers…
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Civil Society Leaders Urge President Obama to Conclude Landmine Policy Review, Announce Intent to Join Mine Ban Treaty
Press Release Washington, D.C.—Leaders from 76 nongovernmental organizations delivered a letter to President Obama urging the U.S. to relinquish antipersonnel landmines and join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty without further delay. The letter follows a request made in 2010 by many of these same leaders asking the President to ensure that the landmine policy review…
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Award Honoring Kenyan Agricultural Scientist
This article is originally from Around Africa, Jan-March 2012 edition An award for outstanding achievements by African scientists has been created in memory of Thomas Odhiambo, the Kenyan scientist who helped found the African Academy of Sciences and TWAS (The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World). Odhiambo, who died in 2003, is regarded as…
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Global Peace Initiative for Women Inspires Hope and Courage
This artlicle was first pulished in AFJN’s January-March Newsletter To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Global Peace Initiative for Women (GPIW) held an international conference in Kenya on the theme of Healing Communities Through Love and Compassion. Much was said about the existence of deep-seated anger, frustration, and suffering in our communities. Some of these…
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U.S. Congo Conflict Mineral: Delay No More. The Rules Must Respect the Intent of Congress
After a field trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from late January to mid February, Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) is calling on the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to release the rulesthat will govern section 1502 on conflict minerals originating from the DRC. Watch: US Congo Conflict Mineral Law:…
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DRC Ministry Of Mines Extends Co-Operation With ITSCI Due Diligence Program
Presse Release by iTSCI The new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was agreed following an evaluation of progress by Ministry experts who have reported improved transparency and statistics of production, and resulting tax revenues, as well as increased Government control and governance in the stanniferrous mineral sector in Katanga; the only Province where iTSCi is currently…
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AFJN Letter of support for Massachusetts conflict mineral law
(letter in PDF file )Dear Chairman Kocot, Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN), a non-profit network with 34 US based active member organizations, applauds you and your consideration of H3982, An Act Relative to Congo Conflict Minerals. This landmark piece of legislation will prohibit the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from contracting with companies who fail to comply with Federal…
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US Foreign policy: Attempt to repeal Congo Conflict Mineral law meets the strongest opposition
On May 10, the International Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee of the US House of Representatives held a hearing entitled “The Costs and Consequences of Dodd-Frank Section 1502: Impacts on America and the Congo”. Since the signing into law in 2010 of Dodd-Frank Wall Street Financial Reform and Consumer Protection…
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The verdict of DRC War Lord Thomas Lubanga
Bahati Jacques, AFJN’s Policy Analyst, on InFocus/Voice of America on the verdict of DRC War Lord Thomas Lubanga
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Nature Kenya Policy Brief on Biofuels
By Nature Kenya – the East Africa Natural History Society Nature Kenya recognizes the Government of Kenya’s concern about Climate Change, and efforts to promote Green Development. We support the Government’s exploration of alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass from waste materials. However, we urge caution in the case of biofuel crops such…
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Bosco Ntaganda: Smuggler King, Kidnapper, War Criminal And … General
On 30 July 2010 human rights activist Bwira wrote an open letter to president Kabila. In that letter he denounced the fact that ex-rebels who had committed serious crimes were recruited by the army in East Congo without any problem at all. He cited the case of Ntaganda and deplored that the Congo tolerates impunity…
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AFJN’s Rev. Aniedi Okure Interviewed by Uprising with Sonali Radio Program on Nigerian Protests
William Gregory Ock, a US citizen working in Nigeria was released last Friday after a week in captivity.
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AFJN Food Security Toolkit
Food security is an important and dynamic issue in the study of Africa. Familiarize yourself with the definitions, current issues, and how to advocate for food security using AFJN’s Food Security Toolkit. Put together by AFJN interns, this toolkit is a clear and thorough introduction to understanding African food security and how it relates to…
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Urging Nonviolence in dealing with the Lord’s Resistance Army
This article by Bahati Jacques from the Oct-Dec Edition of Around Africa, 2011. On October 14, 2011, President Barack Obama sent a letter to Congress to inform law-makers that he had authorized the deployment of one hundred “combat equipped U.S. forces to central Africa to provide assistance to regional forces that are working toward the…
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The Lord’s Resistance Army’s (LRA) activities in Democratic Republic of Congo
By Solidarite et Assistance Integrale aux Personnes Demunies , NGO This is my third analysis on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) activities in Democratic Republic of Congo and it is a follow up analysis on the first and second which was produced in July and August 2011 respectively. This analysis will focus on three month…
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US Secretary of State Statement on D. R Congo’s Supreme Court Decision Confirming Results of the Presidential Election
Supreme Court Decision Confirming Results of the Presidential Election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Press Statement Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Washington, DC December 20, 2011 The United States is deeply disappointed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the electoral commission’s provisional results without fully…
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Urgent Action: YES to Democracy in D.R. Congo and No to US Recognition of Rigged Elections
What would you do if your vote was claimed by a candidate you did not vote for? Observers from the Carter Center, founded by former US President Jimmy Carter, found “the provisional presidential election results announced by the Independent National Election Commission (CENI) on Dec. 9 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to lack…
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US Latest Statement on D.R. Congo Presidential Election
Source: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/12/178853.htm Provisional Results of the Presidential Election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Press Statement Victoria Nuland Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC December 14, 2011 The United States continues to follow closely the ongoing electoral process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We have taken note of recent…
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Declaration of Cardinal L. Monsengwo Pasinya on Presidential Elections in DRC
Translated by Jacques Bahati ( Download the French version here) Archdiocese of Kinshasa The Cardinal Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, 1. Sunday, December 4th, 2011, the CENCO [the National Episcopal Conference of Catholic Bishops] in a press conference and at St. Anne Church, I have made an appeal asking CENI [National Independent Electoral Commission] to imperatively…
