Latest News
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Triggers of Conflict in Africa
By Bahati Ntama Jacques After the violence, death, and displacement in Kenya, it seems the leaders have finally agreed upon a power-sharing deal that placates both sides. Kenya’s conflict has now subsided from the news headlines and it is hoped that the country will begin to reestablish itself as a stable African nation. However, it…
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Petition the U.S. Government to stop the Rwandan Government from encouraging the Congo Conflict
Since the invasion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Rwanda in 1996, the Congolese people have not experienced peace. Click here for a brief backgroundon the Congo-Rwanda conflict and how the Rwandan government is contributing to instability in eastern Congo. Please, act now to promote peace in the D. R. Congo. To this day, the…
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HIV/AIDS and Africa: The Scourge of Our Generation
Today, all churches are living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. As God’s grace holds inclusive love for all humanity, we are compelled to work together to stop the spread of the deadly virus. Today, all churches are living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. As God’s grace holds inclusive love for all humanity, we are compelled…
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25th Anniversary Conference Schedule 2008
Friday, April 18 3pm Registration/Check in 7pm Opening Session – Keynote Speaker: Ishmael Beah “Deadly Play: Children and War” Saturday, April 19 8am Breakfast, Displays open 9am Morning Prayer 9:15am Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey Sachs (Live Video Conference) “Africaand U.S. Policy: An Assessment of the Current Administration and Imperatives for the Next Administration”…
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Inform and Engage on AFRICOM
We’ve been told over and over again: the train has left the station. The new U.S. military command for Africa (AFRICOM) is already operational in Stuttgart, Germany. It has temporary funding, much of which has been transferred from other branches of the Department of Defense (DoD). It has a commander – General William “Kip” Ward….
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The Process of Restorative Justice in Sierra Leone
Q&A with Emmanuel Roberts The government of Sierra Leone requested that UN Security Council establish an international tribunal to prosecute individuals responsible for committing atrocities in the country’s brutal civil war, which broke out in 1991 and remains unresolved despite the Lomé Peace Accord of July 1999. This request was made in hopes that such…
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Rape as a Weapon of War
In wartime, the crime of rape is not a new phenomenon; but the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has no comparison. Many reports have been written calling with urgency for national and international action to end the rape pandemic in eastern Congo, but the fact is that the situation continues to…
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Water for the World Letter Signed by AFJN
On February 25th, the Water Working Group, of which AFJN is a part, delivered a letter to Congress, asking members to support the Water for the World Resolution. The text of the letter is as follows: Dear Member of Congress, At least 1.4 billion people struggle daily without access to adequate water supplies, while 2.5…
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“The US War on Terror Exported to Rwanda: A Threat to Peace in DRC”
“The US War on Terror Exported to Rwanda: A Threat to Peace in DRC” Pambazuka News, article by Bahati Jacques and Beth Tuckey in reaction to President Bush’s trip to Africa
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Professor Jeffrey Sachs to Speak at AFJN 25th Anniversary
AFJN is honored to announce that Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, world-renowned development economist, will address the attendees of our 25th anniversary celebration. He will speak on the topic, “United States Policy and Africa: an Assessment of the Current Administration and Imperatives for the Next.” During his distinguished career, Professor Sachs has campaigned tirelessly for Africa, advocating debt…
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Ishmael Beah to Speak at AFJN 25th Anniversary Conference
AFJN is excited to announce that Ishmael Beah, New York Times bestselling author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, will be a keynote speaker for AFJN’s 25th anniversary conference from April 18-21, 2008. Beah’s book has won national acclaim for its detailed and heartfelt account of his years fighting in the government army….
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MARYKNOLL SISTERS’ STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT BUSH’S VISIT TO AFRICA
Washington, DC– The Maryknoll Sisters Congregational Leadership Team issued today the following statement: “During their visit to Africa, President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush will visit Emusoi Centre, a project of the Maryknoll Sisters in Arusha, Tanzania. Emusoi (or place of discovery and awareness in Maa, the Maasai language) is an ongoing educational project…
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Bush to Africa Press Call Transcript
AFJN took part in organizing a Press Call before President Bush made his trip to Africa from February 15th-21st. It was an attempt, by several US-based and Africa-based NGO’s to raise the issues surrounding Bush’s legacy on the continent. For the full transcript, February 11, 2008 Transcript: Audio Press Conference Operator: Ladies and…
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AFJN Releases Statement on Kenya
(Washington, DC) – Africa Faith and Justice Network is both saddened and incensed by the news reports and stories coming out of Kenya. As an Africa advocacy organization, we feel it is important to address the issue and to engage in some serious analysis about the situation there and how it affects the democratic process…
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Kenyan Election Dispute Claims Many Victims
On January 1st, 2008 people were burned in a church at Kiambaa in Eldoret town by protesters of the December 27, 2007 election results in favor of the current Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki. Violence was reported countrywide and was particularly fierce in Nairobi. More than 100,000 people have fled their homes, fearing for their lives…
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Beyond AFRICOM: Toward a New Concept of Security in Africa
Attaining security in the post-9/11 world has shaped the Bush administration’s foreign policy paradigm and has prompted a reorganization of the United States’ entire national security apparatus. New rules have been assigned, new positions created, and the US government has situated itself to take the lead in countering what it sees as the nation’s biggest…
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D.R. Congo Brief History Profile
Feb 5, 1885 – 1908: Congo is colonized and becomes a private property of Leopold II, King of Belgium. 1908 – 1960: Congo becomes a colony of the Belgian nation. June 24, 1960 – September 1960: Patrice Emry Lumumba elected Congo’s Prime Minister. He was assassinated on Jan 17, 1961. July 1, 1960 – November 14, 1965: Joseph Kassavubu becomes Congo’s first…
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Prayer for Peace and Reconciliation in Kenya
Friday, January 25, 2008 was designated as a special day of prayer for peace and reconciliation in Kenya. To mark this day, the Kenyan Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a special prayer included below. You are invited to join in solidarity with the Kenyan people by praying this prayer and others on Friday and throughout…
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Senator Obama Pushes for Peace in Kenya
In the midst of rallies in Iowa and café stops in New Hampshire, Senator Barack Obama has been on the phone, attempting to resolve the political crisis in Kenya that has claimed approximately 500 lives and displaced nearly 200,000. He spoke with both the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki, and the opposition leader, Raila Odinga. Obama also…
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Fairness and Firmness in Sierra Leone Elections
The 2007 Presidential and Parliamentary elections held in Sierra Leone this year worked. It was the second election since end of the hostilities that tore the country apart and the third multiparty election since the mid 1990’s. This bodes well for stability, as fragile as it may be. Much has been written about the candidates,…
