Latest News
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Update: H.R. 4594/ S. 2982 International Violence Against Women Act of 2010
This article was first published in our July -August Newsletter Updated and posted on Sep 15, 2010 Approximately one third of all women worldwide have been or will become victims of physical or sexual abuse in their lifetimes. In some countries, the rate is as high as 70 percent. Violence against women poses a global…
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The Ogaden Crisis: The Horn of Africa’s invisible humanitarian disaster
A low intensity conflict is simmering in the Horn of Africa. Hundreds of thousands are displaced following the burning of their homes and the destruction of villages. Livestock and other possessions are being confiscated. Brutal sexual and gender-based abuses are a prevalent tool of warfare. Even worse, cold-blooded murder is widespread with horrific public executions….
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Burundi: Pierre Nkurunzia second term without the opposition, a concern
Since August 29, President Nkurunziza has formed a new government to serve with him during his second term. Nkurunziza, the only presidential candidate, won his second term in office on June 28 with an overwhelming majority of votes of 92.62 percent. His party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy- Forces for the Defense…
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Activists Tell Obama: Push Kagame Harder
Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Kitty Kurth, Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation 312-617-7288 Friends of the Congo 202-584-6512 Africa Faith and Justice Network 202-884-9780 Email: rwandaelections@gmail.com WASHINGTON DC (Wednesday, August 25, 2010): A nation-wide coalition of US activists is calling on President Barack Obama to go beyond recent White House criticism and intensify pressure on…
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Implications in the U.S of the U.S. law against conflicts of minerals in the DRC
Translated from French to English by AFJN Source: Conférence Episcopale Nationale du Congo ( Congolese National Bishops’ Conference) – Most Reverend Auxiliary Bishop of Kinshasa – Excellencies, Representatives of Heads of religious denominations – Your Excellency the Representative Office of the President of the Republic – Honorable representatives and Senators – Your Excellency the Representative of the…
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Al Jazeera’s Inside Story, Bahati Jacques, AFJN’s Policy Analyst take on the recent sexual violence in South Kivu
August 24th, 2010 on Al Jazeera TV, Watch the video here Between July 30 and August 2nd, armed militants identified as Mai Mai Cheka Cheka and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda ( FDLR) occupied the town of Luvungi in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and raped many women, said Mr Khare, UN Assistant…
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Dungu Congress Comminque
A Diocesan Congress on Peace was hosted July 12th -14th in Dungu, DRC by the Diocesan Commision on Justice and Peace from the Catholic Diocese of Dungu-Doruma and by Conciliation Resources. The Congressed aimed to “find sustainable solutions to the problems of insecurity in the region and its direct consequences, stemming mainly from LRA activities…
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After Rwandan Elections, Washington says: We remain concerned
On August 3rd, a coalition of advocacy groups including Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) held a press conference in Washington DC calling on President Barack Obama to not recognize the sham elections in Rwanda. This was one of their many whistle blowing efforts to shine some light on the Rwandan government’s human rights violations,…
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Update: International Violence Against Women Act
Approximately one third of all women worldwide have been or will become victims of physical or sexual abuse in their lifetimes. In some countries, the rate is as high as 70 percent. Violence against women poses a global health crisis, a severe impediment to development, and above all an entirely unacceptable human rights violation. On…
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It is the Law: The US Secretary of State mandated to get involved in conflict mineral Reform in DRC
Warning! If you or your company is involved in the trading of natural resources from the relatively stable Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United States made it official that it will get involved in tracking you down. On July 21, 2010, when President Barack Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street…
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Rwandan President Paul Kagame & US Policy
As the August 9th election day approaches, fear and uneasiness continues to grow for many Rwandans. The incumbent President Paul Kagame is running for reelection and is expected to win. But, what kind of leader has he been? He has made headlines in recent months for causing trouble for his challengers ahead of elections. There…
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The 15th African Union Summit: What were the Issues?
Since the African Union (AU)’s establishment in 1999 and their first assembly in 2002, the AU has had annual summits; this year’s is its 15th. From July 19-27, 2010 in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, Heads of State and Government convened to discuss pertinent issues facing the African continent. The 15th AU summit’s theme was…
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AFJN and other organizations called on Obama not to recognize Kagame
President Obama said, in his 2009 speech in Accra, Ghana, that America should support strong institutions and not strong men.
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Rwandan Elections: Legitimacy Questioned
The United States foreign policy with the continent of Africa has been to support strong men and strong-handed governments and the U.S. interest abroad. With the election of President Barack Obama many thought there would be a change to this African policy.
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ARLPI Letter Respponds to LRA/Northern Uganda Legislation
In response to the recently-passed LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 (S.1067/HR 2478), the lead voice for a peaceful resolution of the LRA conflict submitted an open letter to Obama last month, a letter that AFJN signed as well. The Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) has long called on the international community to emphasize peacebuilding,…
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ICC Review conference: Peace, Justice, and AFRICOM
Eight years after its July 2002 founding, state parties and observers participated in the first ever review of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at a conference in Kampala, Uganda, earlier this month. The purpose of the conference was to review the Rome Statute (the court’s founding documents) and its impact on affected communities, as well…
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A Move towards Global Health Equality
In many Western nations, a woman who is about to give birth has to go to the hospital, call her doctor, and be admitted for observation. The mother and child have some of the best professional attention, even if both are healthy. However, for many African mothers the process is much more arduous. The essentials…
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A Call to the US to support Freedom, Human Rights and Democracy in Rwanda
Current Political Climate in Rwanda Since the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, true democratic governance has never been on the agenda of the party that won the war, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Officially, Rwanda is a multiparty system, but only one party, that of President Paul Kagame, is allowed to function. Currently, it is clear…
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Congolese Political Science Professor Arrested in Rwanda
Translated and edited by Africa Faith and Justice Network The South -Kivu governor’s communication Office, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mr. Buhendwa Eluga, a political science professor and the President of the Higher Institute of Commerce (ISC) of Uvira was arrested by Rwandan authorities while he was lecturing in a school in Rwanda…
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ICC indictment of Sudanese President Raises Questions
On July 14, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. In the ICC’s first ever attempt to indict a sitting head of state, prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has stated that he has sufficient evidence…
