Latest News
-
AFRICOM: Wrong for Liberia, Disastrous for Africa
by Ezekiel Pajibo and Emira Woods Just two months after U.S. aerial bombardments began in Somalia, the Bush administration solidified its militaristic engagement with Africa. In February 2007, the Department of Defense announced the creation of a new U.S. Africa Command infrastructure, code name AFRICOM, to “coordinate all U.S. military and security interests throughout the…
-
Join AFJN in Asking for More Appropriations Added to the Water for the Poor Act (P.L. 109-121)
The Religious Working Group on Water, of whom AFJN executive director Father Rocco Puopolo is a member, is calling on U.S. policy makers and inter-governmental institutions to “ensure universal, sustainable access to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use.” Contact your Senator asking for increased appropriations and funding for…
-
AGOA: Growth and Opportunities for Africa?
On Thursday, July 12th, the US House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health held a hearing on the future of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). While the meeting usefully articulated possible policies, it also ignored many of AGOA’s problems. Recognition of these flaws will be essential for reform of AGOA, the biggest piece…
-
A Devil’s Bargain in Somalia?
Like the Israelites after the fall of the first Temple (recorded in the book of Lamentations), Somalia’s people suffer innumerable woes. With residents fleeing in the hundreds of thousands, their Jerusalem lies deserted and destroyed (Mogadishu), and many believe that their enemy, Ethiopia, has become their occupying master, just as the Babylonians conquered the Jews….
-
South Africa’s Ongoing Quest for Reconciliation
The Future is Certain: It is the Past that is Unpredictable Ten years ago the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (known as the TRC) handed over its final report to the then State President Nelson Mandela. The TRC continues to be viewed by many around the world as the classic model of a country…
-
Economic and Human Rights Disintegration in Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, hyperinflation has reached levels beyond control and the road to recovery seems unclear. Reports of secret human rights abuses and extreme political opposition harassment continue to surface, lengthening the list of questions for the supposedly strong ruling party and their leader, President Robert Mugabe. With elections only a year away, even Zimbabwe’s central…
-
US Military Strikes Again in Somalia
In early June, the United States intervened militarily in Somalia for the third time this year, striking a group of alleged terrorists with cruise missiles. The men targeted had come ashore in northern Somalia two days earlier and were hiding in nearby mountains. Episodes such as this one may soon become more frequent, as recent…
-
Somalia: Continued Conflict or Possibility of Peace?
Grim tales of humanitarian emergencies and violence now dominate where once there existed some hope for Somalia’s future. The fragile transitional government and its Ethiopian backers now face a violent insurgency, and the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate with every passing day. These factors and others prompted Foreign Policy to rank Somalia as the third…
-
AFRICOM: New Head but Still no Home
“I wouldn’t say we see eye to eye on every issue.” That was the very diplomatic way that Ryan Henry, principal deputy under-secretary of defense for policy, described recent meetings with African countries on the subject of the US military command for Africa (Africom). In June, Mr. Henry led a delegation of Defense and State…
-
Learn More about US Militarism
Department of Defense www.defenselink.mil State Department usinfo.state.gov Council on Foreign Relations www.cfr.org CSIS Africa Policy Forum forums.csis.org TransAfrica www.transafricaforum.org
-
Africa Questionnaire Sent to Candidates
The 2008 Presidential Campaign heated up even before the warm summer of 2007. There is much talk about money these days and who is leading whom in that category. Presidential Forums are all the rage and have allowed the candidates to expound on faith, poverty and race. At AFJN, we are interested in hearing what…
-
Africa Questionnaire Sent to Candidates
The 2008 Presidential Campaign heated up even before the warm summer of 2007. There is much talk about money these days and who is leading whom in that category. Presidential Forums are all the rage and have allowed the candidates to expound on faith, poverty and race. At AFJN, we are interested in hearing what…
-
Update on the Somalia Situation
The military and humanitarian situation in Somalia worsened over the weekend, primarily due to the actions of the Union of Islamic Courts. Reconciliation now seems even more unlikely. But is there hope? The situation in Somalia turned even bleaker on Saturday as Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, one of the leaders of the Union of Islamic…
-
Another War on Your Watch?
Archbishop Francois-Xavier Maroy of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, in a recent letter to the French ambassador, raised the alarm on what he deemed to be an imminent return to war in the East of Congo. Here, Jacques Bahati, AFJN intern originally from the DRC, offers us his take on the present precarious situation: In late May, the…
-
Congo Coalition Holds Successful Congress in Belgium
The first major project of Congo Global Action (CGA)took place from March 20 -22 in Brussels. CGA members in Brussels organized the conference entitled – Congo: After the elections, next steps? The International Rescue Committee (IRC) was the main host, with support from several student clubs. Together, they organized the successful conference at the Catholic…
-
Bringing African Issues to the Presidential Candidates
Over the past couple of months, AFJN staffer, Phil Reed, has been working with other DC based Africa advocates to engage the 2008 presidential candidates on African issues. Several meetings have been held, chaired by Greg Simpkins of the Leon Sullivan Foundation, to reflect on the best ways to compel the candidates to think about…
-
Congo’s Struggle for Water
Anne Vickers, AFJN intern 2007 “When the poor and needy seek water, I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” Isaiah 41:17-18 In the May/June 2007 newsletter, Jacques Bahati wrote…
-
Congolese Archbishop Sounds the Alarm
Archbishop Francois-Xavier Maroy of Bukavu, in eastern D.R. Congo, in a May 28th letter to the visiting French ambassador sounded the alarm concerning the developing dangers for the people of the Bukavu region. In the letter, which follows, the archbishop ominously states that “all the elements are gathering for a new war in South…
-
Friday, June 20 is World Refugee Day
World Refugee Day has been internationally recognized on June 20 ever since it was established by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2001. It serves as an opportunity to learn about and reflect upon the growing scale and complexity of the refugee crisis and to salute the courage, strength and resilience of…
-
African Churches Reject Free Trade Agreements with Europe
A statement was released this week by a very broad coalition of churches opposing the European Partnership Agreements (EPA). The statement is impressive in its gathering of churches that don’t often find each other signing the same documents. Signees include the Catholic Church-Kenya Episcopal Conference and AMECEA, the Anglican Church, The Assemblies of God and…
