Latest News
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AFJN Concerned About U.S. Military Action in Somalia
On January 9th, in the latest development in the U.S. global War on Terror, air strikes undertaken by U.S. military aircraft hit presumed al-Qaeda terrorist hide-outs in southern Somalia, though subsequent statements from the Pentagon have revealed that the only casualties were civilians. The last time the U.S. military directly intervened in Somalia was in 1993, when eighteen soldiers were…
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CTFA Letter to Archbishop Ncube of Bulawayo Received
On April 6, Rev. Rocco Puopolo, Executive Director of AFJN and chair of the Catholic Task Force on Africa, sent a letter of support to the Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube. The Catholic Task Force wanted to support the Archbishop in his efforts to speak out on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe who…
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Zimbabwe: “In the Name of Jesus…Stop the Violence”
The Catholic Bishops of Zimbabwe have written a pastoral letter on the current crisis in their country. In the letter, they call on the government to end the violence and to be fair, just and compassionate in governing their people. Weeks of escalating political turmoil have seen political opposition leaders arrested, beaten and shamefully paraded…
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Congo Global Action Supports MONUC in letter to Rice
The Congo Global Action Coalition sent a letter to US Secretary of State, Condeleeza Rice, on April 5 asking the the US offer continued support to the UN mission in the Congo (MONUC). The letter, found below, emphasizes the important role MONUC has played in helping make possible the recent democratic elections. Given the fragility…
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U.S. Boots on Africa’s Ground
The rumors were true after all. For several years, we have been hearing that the United States was about to create a military command structure for Africa. On February 6, President Bush announced that US Africa Command (Africom) would become a reality. Up until then, the northeastern part of Africa had been covered by Centcom,…
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US Bishops Support Zimbabwean Brother Bishops
After Pope Benedict XVI, the UK Bishops and the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops have officially reached out to support their Zimbabwean counterparts. Bishop Wenski, of the Orlando Diocese, in his role as chairman of the International Policy Committee of the Conference, wrote a…
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“… and How are the Children?” Deemed Huge Success
From March 9-12, nearly one thousand people from church communities all over the United States came to Washington for Ecumenical Advocacy Days. AFJN members joined their sisters and brothers in a weekend of workshops, worship and preparation for lobbying the new members of Congress. Of the one thousand gathered at the Doubletree Hotel, nearly one…
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AFJN Responds to President Bush in Africa
Before President Bush left for Africa, AFJN and several other NGO’s organized a press call to address some of our primary concerns regarding the Bush Administration’s legacy in Africa. On the top of the list was the new US military command for Africa – AFRICOM. Those who spoke on the call highlighted this flawed policy…
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The Pope Wants Justice for Africa
The continent of Africa is getting a healthy dose of attention from Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope’s new book, Jesus of Nazareth, has been written about quite widely in the international press, especially for what the Pontiff has said about Africa, notes that Pope Benedict has used the word, Africa, even more times than the…
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Army disobeys President’s ban on mining in eastern Congo
By Bahati Jacques On September 11th, 2010 the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) president Joseph Kabila put a moratorium on all artisan mining in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Maniema. These are the provinces which still are experiencing violence as a result of the economic war waged against the DRC…
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Clean Water Is a Human Right
Water is a human right and a gift from God to be preserved and shared by all. 400 million Africans, a number greater than the population of the U.S., did not have access to clean water in the year 2000. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water are pumped out of local rivers…
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Militia Attacks Resume in Darfur
Militia attacks have resumed and the humanitarian situation continues to worsen in Darfur. Meanwhile, the international community and humanitarian organizations are decreasing their involvement in the region. In the first week of November, militia attacks on IDP camps killed hundreds, including many children. In addition, thousands fled from the violence for other camps, fearing for…
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Polls Repeated in Fataki, Bumba
Repeat elections were conducted in Fataki and Bumba following civil unrest on Sunday. In Fataki, a soldier opened fire at a polling station resulting in the death of two polling clerks. In Bumba, voters accused voting officials of being Kabila supporters and set fire to 12 voting stations. Polling stations opened late and voters did…
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Bemba, Kabila Sign Declaration
Representatives of presidential rivals Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba singed an historic declaration on Sunday to keep peace after Sunday’s elections and accept the results. According to this declaration, both candidates agreed to publicly appear and encourage their supporters to remain peaceful in the event of civil unrest. The agreement also requires that the winner…
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Bemba Will Not Fight if Kabila Wins Freely and Fairly
Presidential runoff candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba announced that he will not return to war if he loses to incumbent candidate Joseph Kabila in a free and fair election. “I will accept the decision of the ballot” Bemba said in Kinshasa on Thursday. The highly anticipated runoff election takes place this Sunday, 29 October in the Democratic…
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Tensions, Concerns Rise on the Eve of Elections
With the runoff election between Presidential candidates Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba less than two weeks away, tensions are running high in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Last week, Transitional President Kabila replaced a number of civilians in his cabinet and provincial governors with military officers. Following the replacements, critics accused Kabila of attempting to…
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Rising Tensions Between UN and Sudanese Government
Tensions between the United Nations and the government of Sudan have risen to new levels, as the UN Special Envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, was expelled from the country earlier this week after statements made in his personal blog were considered a threat to Sudanese national security. Pronk wrote that government forces had suffered major…
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Congolese Bishops Conference Speaks out on Upcoming Elections
The Conference of Bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo (CENCO) published a letter on October 6 to all Congolese Catholics and people of goodwill entitled, “The Truth Wil Set You Free”. In the letter, the Bishops congratulate the Congolese people for the success of organizing the first round of elections and for coming out in…
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Kabila Signs Pact with Mobutu’s Son
Presidential candidate Joseph Kabila signed a pact with Francois Joseph Zanga Mobutu, son of former DRC President Mobutu Sese Seko. The agreement brings Mobutu onto Kabila’s electoral platform, l’Alliance de la majorite presidentielle (AMP), along with politicians from several former DRC regimes. Kabila won 44.8% of the vote—mostly in the Eastern provinces—in August and faces Presidential…
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Tensions, Concerns Rise on the Eve of Elections
With the runoff election between Presidential candidates Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba less than two weeks away, tensions are running high in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Last week, Transitional President Kabila replaced a number of civilians in his cabinet and provincial governors with military officers. Following the replacements, critics accused Kabila of attempting to…
