Latest News
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AFRICOM Fails Its First Test
As one of its principal missions, AFRICOM states (africom.mil/AboutAFRICOM.asp) that it will offer “the kind of support that will enable African governments and existing regional organizations… to have greater capacity to provide security and respond in times of need.” To that end, AFRICOM provides training and equipping of African militaries – something AFJN strongly opposes –…
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2009 Staff Report
Staff: We have a three person full time staff at AFJN. Beth Tuckey who has been with us since June 2007 is the associate director for program development and policy. She also assists with outreach. Bahati Ntama Jacques began in September of 07. He is the policy analyst. He is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. …
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AFJN Signs Thank You to Leahy on Climate Change, Pushes for More
Last week, AFJN joined dozens of organizations in thanking Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) for his work in appropriating more money to the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Senator Leahy pushed for $10 million in the 2009 Omnibus bill, an important step forward in helping poorer…
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Letter to President Obama from Ecumenical Advocacy Days
Nearly 700 participants will come together at Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) this weekend in Alexandria, VA to discuss the relationship between climate change, migration, and poverty. AFJN has helped formulate the Africa Program at EAD for many years, and we are excited about this year’s events. On Monday, all of the organizations who take part…
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IMF Reform?
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has become somewhat infamous as one of the most well-funded failures of Western attempts at development. On the continent of Africa, the rather unsuccessful IMF policies of the past have included damaging structural adjustment policies and large loans to undemocratic and irresponsible regimes – with the only result being large…
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Rwanda Begins Troop Withdrawl in Eastern DR Congo
Despite anxieties around Rwanda’s military presence in Congo, troops have now begun to leave eastern DRC, five weeks after they crossed the border to attack FDLR Hutu rebels. A ceremony bidding farewell to the Rwandan military took place in Goma today, and news reports say approximately 1,500 troops have already left. Though this is a positive advancement,…
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AFRICOM Fails Its First Test
As one of its principal missions, AFRICOM states that it will offer “the kind of support that will enable African governments and existing regional organizations… to have greater capacity to provide security and respond in times of need.” To that end, AFRICOM provides training and equipping of African militaries – something AFJN strongly opposes – as well…
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Declaration of Religous Summit on LRA Issue
Last week, Caritas reported on the first-ever gathering of religious leaders from the numerous communities affected by the continued aggression of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a gathering focused on finding a regional solution to the violence. This three-day meeting, hosted by Catholic Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa of Kisangani, brought together for the first time Catholic bishops…
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Vulture Funds: Ugly Name for an Ugly Reality
Vulture funds, often called “Distressed Debt Funds” are predatory hedge funds that siphon off newly freed resources from poor-country debt cancellation efforts. They do this by buying up a poor country’s debt in default for pennies on the dollar and then engaging courts in U.S., Britain and beyond to sue for the full amount of…
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‘Greetings’ in Burundian Culture
Hearing Burundians greet each other and greet us in Kirundi got me curious about finding out the meaning of these daily greeting rituals. The finding is, astonishingly, a good ground on which Burundians can build bridges of reconciliation and recovery from the hurt caused by years of war.
In fact, greetings in Burundi are full of expressions of wishes for peace for individuals and for the whole community. In the morning, you say mwaramutse. It literally means ‘did you wake up?’ It can also mean ‘did you survive?’ This question is about surviving the unexpected challenges that can happen in the dark of the night.
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Evolving Political Situation in Burundi
This article was originally posted on January 29th, 2009 during AFJN’s trip to Burundi and Uganda. It appeared as a blog post on justicegreatlakes.blogspot.com. Reposted here April 14th, 2009. Although many Burundians feel positive about the political shift in their country, some still hold skepticism about the sustainability of the current peace. The sound of…
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Climate Change and the Poor: A Plea to the Relief and Development Community
Through an accident of birth, most of us enjoy an extravagant lifestyle. We have the basics—food, clothing, housing, and health care—and then some—education, stable communities, good jobs, freedom to travel and to speak without fear of reprisal. Africa Faith and Justice Network members know that too many don’t even have the basics. As people of faith,…
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Senator Feingold Releases Statement on AFRICOM and Somalia
In a statement released Tuesday, January 27th, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) noted the “important and strategic roles that AFRICOM can play” in boosting the security of Africa’s young democracies. Although he recognized the flaws within AFRICOM and the need for stronger diplomacy, his overall endorsement of the Command is cause for concern.In the statement, Feingold…
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Follow Bahati and Beth in Central Africa!
AFJN Staff Members Bahati Ntama Jacques and Beth Tuckey are currently in Burundi and Uganda conducting research for our project on restorative justice. They are keeping a blog, updated every couple of days, that can be read HERE. Find out what they’re doing and learning about community-based reconciliation!
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Centre Jeunes Kamenge
This article was originally posted on January 27th, 2009 during AFJN’s trip to Burundi and Uganda. It appeared on the blog justicegreatlakes.blogspot.com. Reposted on April 14th, 2009. The Kamenge Center sits in the middle of the northern neighborhoods (quarters) of Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. During the war in the 1990’s, it became one of…
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A United States Department of Development?
By Fr. Rocco Puopolo, You’ve heard of the Department of Defense, the Department of State, Department of the Treasury, and others – what about a Department of Development? There is a buzz in the Beltway. Many NGO’s and policymakers are emphasizing Development within the three “D” approach to foreign policy: Diplomacy, Defense, and Development. For…
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Violence as a Path to Power: A Trend in African Politics
Looking over the African political landscape today, it seems that the preferred and only option to stopping months or years of violence is by giving a government seat to those who use violence. Why reward those who use violence to fulfill their political dreams? What does it mean for the democratic process in Africa? A number of examples…
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Interpreting Ghana’s 2008 Presidential Election
Once again Ghana set the bar higher for the future of the democratic process in Africa. Much has been written about the past, present and the future of democracy in Africa and most of the literature and political analysis point to the many ills that hinder African democracy. However, the December 28, 2008 presidential elections…
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Ugandan Rebels Retaliate Against Government Attack
Two weeks after the Ugandan government initiated a botched military operation against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in DR Congo, the angered rebels initiated a string of attacks against the Congolese civilian population. According to reports from Caritas International and other news agencies, over 400 have been killed, nearly 200 abducted, and scores raped. To…
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AFJN Participates in Call tothe President for Responsible U.S. Global Engagement
Over the past several months, AFJN has been working with the Connect U.S. Fund to develop a concrete set of foreign policy priorities for the next Administration. Through a series of consultations, meetings, and draft letters, the letter has finally been released and will be sent to President-elect Barack Obama. Although the broad letter does…
