Latest News
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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…
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Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Peace and Democracy in the D.R. Congo
On Oct 24, 2007, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on “Exploring the U.S. Role in Consolidating Peace and Democracy in the Great Lakes Region.” The hearing was chaired by Sen. Feingold, D-Wis., and testifying were Jendayi E. Frazer – Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Katherine J. Almquist – Assistant Administrator for Africa…
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U S Involvement in the Peace Process in the D.R. Congo
In the recent months, the US has been surprisingly engaged in the conflict in DR Congo. Ø On September 15-17th, 2007, the US facilitated a meeting between the ministers of Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and the D.R. Congo in Kampala, the capital of Uganda on regional peace threatened by the negative forces present in the Congo. Ø Soon…
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Mauritania and Egypt Attend Hunger Forum
Alliance to End Hunger Leads U.S. Delegation to First Near East Forum Against Hunger Former Congresswoman Eva Clayton, Honorary Chair of The Alliance to End Hunger and Max Finberg, Director of the Alliance, will lead a delegation of interfaith anti-hunger leaders from the United States to attend the Near East Regional Forum on Hunger…
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Roots of AFRICOM
In October 2003, James Jay Carafano, Ph. D. and Nile Gardiner, both from the Conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation, proposed to the Bush administration the creation of a centralized Africa command for the U.S. military. With this proposal as the basis for the command and adamant support from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, just four years later AFRICOM became operational.
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Some Perspectives for Peace in D.R. Congo
On November 5th, Archbishop Francois Maroy of the Bukavu, Congo, released a statement concerning the crisis and the responsibility of international, national, and local actors. Afica Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) shares his position and applauds him for taking a strong stance in solidarity with the Congolese people. The full document, translated from French by…
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Sign AFRICOM Petitions Today!
Africa Faith and Justice Network invites you to add your voice to the call for a more responsible US foreign policy that respects the dignity and capacity of our African partners. Together, we can build a movement to halt the further militarization of Africa.The new US Africa Command (AFRICOM) structure involves putting many of State…
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AFJN Hosts Panel on AFRICOM
On Wednesday, November 28th, AFJN hosted a panel discussion on AFRICOM in conjunction with the Council on African Studies at American University in Washington, DC. The event, titled “Africa’s Oil, America’s AFRICOM, and the Global War on Terror” was the first attempt by the AFRICOM Working Group* to inspire the public to action. As we…
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Expulsion of Missionaries in Eritrea
Caught between violence in Ethiopia and Somalia and simmering turmoil in Sudan, Eritrea makes few headlines in the Horn of Africa. But the repressive government in Eritrea ought to sound international alarms – indeed it has for 14 Comboni Missionaries who were recently expelled from the country due to their inability to renew residency permits….
