Latest News
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AFJN Signs On to Food Security Letters to President Obama and Congress
Posted January 18th, 2011, Updated February 9th, 2011 UPDATE: AFJN has signed on to a letter to Congress urging them to boost funding to global food programs in the FY2011 budget. The letter, signed by 39 organizations, highlights the positive impact development has on global economics and mentions the long term expense of undernutrition in developing…
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Africa advocates head to Congress re Congo atrocities
KPFA Radio Africa advocates head to Congress re Congo atrocities, Bahati Jacques explains the objectives of the coalition’s briefing on Capitol Hill on the UN mapping Report
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Army disobeys President’s ban on mining in eastern Congo
On September 11th, 2010 the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) president Joseph Kabila put a moratorium on all artisan mining in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Maniema. These are the provinces which still are experiencing violence as a result of the economic war waged against the DRC by Rwanda and its…
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Peace and Justice in D.R.Congo: Foothills School writes to Idaho Representatives
Dear Representative ,We, the students and staff of Foothills School of Arts and Sciences in Boise, are writing in regards to the devastating situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our students recently sent a message to UN Ambassador Rice in response to her request for children’s top security concerns. Click here to read the full leltter…
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World Women March in Bukavu for Peace, Justice and Women’s Rights
By Nita Evele, Congo Global Action Thousands of Congolese women marched on the street of Bukavu, the capital city of the province of South Kivu on October 17, 2010 as part of the third World March of Women (WMW) to show their commitment to peace and security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). …
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Senators Coons and Isakson React to Congolese Supreme Court decision, call for transparent review of election results
WASHINGTON – A day after holding a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs on governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Senators Coons (D-Del.) and Isakson (R-Ga.) expressed deep concern about today’s ruling of the Congolese Supreme Court, which declared President Kabila the winner of recent elections without a transparent review of the election results.
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AFJN said No to AFRICOM at the Ignatian Solidarity Network 2010 in Washington
On the weekend of November 14th and 15th thirteen hundred students from 35 Catholic Universities and 20 Catholic High Schools throughout the country gathered for the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) TEACH IN 2010 at George-town University in Washington. The two days were filled with inspiring sharing by students and Catholic Activists in plenary sessions and…
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Governance in Africa: The Relevance of the Ibrahim Index
The Mo Ibrahim Index for Good Governance in Africa released its annual report compiling the progress countries have made over the past year. The index has gained great popularity in the countries it deems to be doing best, but has drawn criticism from those who are ranked low out of the 53 countries assessed. The…
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Coalition to UN Security Council: Address UN Congo Mapping Report and Enforce Justice for Victims
Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Friends of the CongoPhone: +1-202-584-6512Email: rwandaelections@gmail.comWednesday, December 15, 2010 – This month the US and the UN Security Council must choose: will they hold accountable major perpetrators of continued atrocities in the Congo or collaborate with them to put the blame on a few guilty but minor scapegoats and some innocent…
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U.S New Framework for Global Development Policy
The Obama Administration has recently come up with its framework for a new global de-velopment policy strategy, with particular policy papers on Agriculture, Health and Climate Change. The Catholic Task Force for Africa reflected on these papers and the fol-lowing comments reflect our thanks, concerns and suggestions. This new effort by the administration offers the…
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Seeking Justice for the Victims: UN Mapping Exercise Report of October 1, 2010 on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, NGO letter to Congressman David Wu
We the undersigned come to you with concerns over the stability, security, justice and peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region in general. We want to call your attention to the recent UN mapping exercise report. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Mapping Report, released on…
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Coalition to UN Security Council: Address UN Congo Mapping Report and enforce justice for victims
Coalition to UN Security Council: Address UN Congo Mapping Report and enforce justice for victims
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Multi-national corporations’ Land Grabbing in Africa
In the recent economic downturn, some of the world’s largest foreign corporations have found a new sector to invest in: African farmland. The countries that are most vulnerable to the persistent trend of land grabbing are those with weak governments that arefailing to defend justice and national sovereignty. Some governments and communities have leased the…
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Rwandan Army Allies’ Crimes in Congo: Who is Not Named in the UN Report?
On October 1, 2010, the UN finally released its report (read it here) about the war crimes, crimes against humanity, major violations of international laws and possibly a genocide committed by Rwandan troops (APR) and its allies, the Rwandan sponsored Congolese rebel group Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL ). The…
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Tell your Representative/Senators to Co-sponsor the Intentional Violence Against Women Act Now
At the recent Mission Congress 2010 held in Albuquerque, New Mexico from October 28th to 31st, the United States Catholic Mission Association(USCMA) met for their member meeting. As a body they voted in favor of joining the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) in supporting the International Violence Against Women Act which is before both…
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Four Women and a Girl taken Hostage in Mwenga Territory
From October 14-17, 2010, 250 women from 48 countries and more than 1000 delegates from across the Democratic Republic of the Congo joined thousands Congolese women in the city of Bukavu in South Kivu province for the third international World March of Women WMW) . Launched for the first time in October 2000, the World…
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Rwandan Army Allies’ Crimes in Congo: Who is Not Named in the UN Report?
(First published in AFJN’s September-October Newsletter) By Bahati Jacques, Policy Analyst On October 1, 2010, the UN finally released its report (read it here) about the war crimes, crimes against humanity, major violations of international laws and possibly a genocide committed by Rwandan troops (APR) and its allies, the Rwandan sponsored Congolese rebel group Alliance…
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Democratic Republic of Congo: A Season of Hope
Wrinkled and hard, the woman looked 70; I did not know her age, only that she was a native of Bunia, the beleaguered city in the eastern Congo terrorized by rebels and its own nation’s army in recent years. I met her in Mbandaka, the provincial capital of Equateur Province a thousand miles from her…
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Using Art as a Tool to End the Rape Pandemic in the Congo
By Evan Fowler, American University, AFJN InternProtecting women is a priority in the Congolese environment of insecurity where women are raped not only by those with guns, but unarmed civilians. Caritas Goma, a charitable ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Goma, in collaboration with other nonprofit organizations, is using art as a tool to fight against…
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D.R. Congo: Women’s Listening Ministry
Rev. Madeline Bomboko was Director of the Disciples’ (Communaute des Disciples du Christ au Congo) Losanganya Guest House in Mbandaka when she began to receive some unexpected guests. It all began one day in 2003 on a street in downtown Mbandaka. A disheveled, emaciated woman with fine features intrigued Madeline. What was the cause of…
