Latest News
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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,…
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No HIV/AIDS Treatment for the Children
According to the UNAIDS 2006 Report, 2.3 million children under the age of 15 live with HIV/AIDS around the world. Of those children, 2.1 million live in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2005 alone, an estimated 700,000 children were newly infected, mainly through mother-to- child transmission (MTCT). In the time it takes you to read this article…
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Cultivating Justice for All Stakeholders in Rwanda
In responding to crimes it is natural to desire justice, but have you ever asked yourself what kind of justice? Our justice system uses criminal justice because it is part of the democratic form of government and is consequently what our law schools teach. Nevertheless, after reflecting on crimes and the need for justice around…
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Privatizing Violence in Africa
One of the goals of the United States’ new military command for Africa, AFRICOM, as defined by the Department of Defense (DOD) is to promote security and stability on the continent by increasing the security capability of African countries. This includes professionalizing African militaries and providing peacekeeping forces and support. DOD officials have said that…
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Congo Voices
The issue of security in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C) seems to be a tough puzzle to solve. Violence has resumed since late August 2007 and many people are dying, women are being raped, and children are forcefully enrolled in rebel groups. The Congolese government seems to have exhausted all its options and…
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Catholic Relief Services Helps Kenyans Affected by Violence
As violence erupts across Kenya following the Dec. 27 general elections, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is responding with assistance to a growing number of people displaced by armed mobs, looters and other violent groups. The agency immediately committed $50,000 for the emergency response, money that will provide food and supplies to displaced families and support…
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Congo Voices
The issue of security in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C) seems to be a tough puzzle to solve. Violence has resumed since late August 2007 and many people are dying, women are being raped, and children are forcefully enrolled in rebel groups. The Congolese government seems to have exhausted all its options and…
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Military Aid Limited to Governments Using Child Soldiers
AFJN is delighted to announce that on December 10th, Congress passed legislation that severely decreases U.S. military aid to countries using child soldiers. As part of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (S. 3061, H.R. 3887), the legislation was passed unanimously by the House and Senate and will restrict International Military Education and Training, Foreign…
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Security Issues in Eastern Congo: Remedies and Lasting Solutions
By Ben Mwangachuchu, President Congo Peace Initiatives in the Kivus Inc. The Sun City accord allowed the government of Congo to transition into a post war era by halting a regional war that opposed Rwanda and Uganda on one hand with its allied rebellions, Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD), Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo (MLC),…
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Water for the World Resolution Introduced in House
On December 6, 2007 Representative Jan Shakowsky (D-IL) introduced the Water for the World Resolution (H.CON.RES 266) which defines access to water as a universal human right and suggests that federal funding not be applied to the privatization of water resources. It also promotes environmental concerns of sustainable and unpolluted water. The resolution has been…
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D.R.Congo: Nkunda Regains Power Soon After Defeat
Security, peace and ceasefire continue to be the center of concern in the eastern D.R.Congo. Friday December 14, 2007 the Congolese army fought for five hours in Kazuba locality with Nkunda’s military support from Rwanda descending to Masisi via Runyonyi causing the people in the surrounding villages to run toward Rumangabo, Rubare and Rutshuru. Although…
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Security in the Eastern D.R. Congo
The National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) of Nkundabatware and the Hutu rebel group FDLR (Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda) remain the central causes of the current insecurity eastern Congo. Nkunda’s profileis long. In short, he joined the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) in Uganda to prepare for the 1990-1994 Hutu-Tutsi Rwandan war and then…
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Somalia Mourns a ‘Golden Era’ as Crisis Worsens
Last year, the people of Somalia caught a glimpse of tranquility. It was fleeting and certainly not without its violent interruptions, but the few months of rule under the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) is now being called Somalia’s ‘golden era’ by top United Nations officials. In recent weeks, the area around Mogadishu has collapsed into a bloodbath that…
