Latest News
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The Abuse behind Banana production in Cameroon
Banana is one of the fruits available every season and widely consumed in many homes in Europe, the United States and Asia. How I wish these bananas could tell the consumers the story of where they come from? A young Cameroonian named Franck Bieleu made a documentary called “The Big Banana” that profiles the numerous…
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Revolution and Counterrevolution in Sudan
In December 2018, thousands of people took to the streets in protests responding to cuts in subsidies for bread. The protests started in a small rural town and spread to major cities. Familiar with local protests caused by poverty and desperation, the Sudanese people could not imagine the revolution was about to occur. The rural…
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Somalia and Kenya Maritime Boundary Dispute now at the International Court of Justice
Kenya and Somalia are currently fighting at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a specified area of 100,000 square kilometers in the Indian Ocean in which natural resources have been found. Both have engaged economically in this space and have claimed it, which has created tension. As a reminder, Kenya has been involved militarily…
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Solidarity and Prayers for the Church in Eritrea
On June 12, 2019 the Eritrean authorities ordered the seizure of all Catholic Church-managed health centers. As of July 9 2019, the Catholic News Agency reported that as many as 29 Catholic hospitals, health centers and clinics have been confiscated by the government. The Vatican News reports Daniela Kravetz, the UN Special Rapporteur saying that…
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Ebola crisis in D. R. Congo, US Lawmakers want an action plan to help
On June 4, 2019, Acting Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Admiral Tim Ziemer appeared before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations to discuss with lawmakers on way to respond to the worrisome and growing spread of Ebola in North and Ituri Provinces in the Democratic…
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In Solidarity with Refugees on World Refugee Day
A day before World Refugee Day, which is celebrated on June 20th, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has announced that there are about 71,000,000 displaced people around the world. This astonishing number continues to increase and essentially, is becoming an international epidemic. The enormous number of refugees has resulted in overpopulation in camps, some…
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Kenyans Fearful of Ebola
The country of Kenya so far has remained free of the Ebola virus that has plagued the Democratic Republic of Congo and recently three cares were confirmed in Uganda. The fear of Ebola crossing boarders is growing every day. According to Sicily Kariuki, the Health Cabinet Secretary of Kenya, a woman of thirty-six years was…
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Why locals attack Ebola health centers in the DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing a rapidly evolving Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the country. Recently, the disease has spread quickly, and, as of now, over 2000 people have been infected. The outbreak has been difficult to contain in part because it is located in an active armed conflict area…
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Welcome to Our Summer Intern – Philip Brooks
My name is Philip Brooks. I am a junior at University of Maryland Baltimore County. I study international relations with a minor in political science. I am in the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars Program at UMBC. I grew up in Annapolis, Maryland. I am skilled in French. My interests include global security, global governance, and…
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Welcome 2019 Summer Intern Jeannette Kayitesi
I am Jeannette Kayitesi. I’m currently a senior at the University At Albany where I am double majoring in Political Science and Globalization Studies. This past spring I was Interning at the New York State Assembly where I got the chance to experience the power of legislators’ influence on laws with impact at the state…
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Welcome to our Summer Intern, Magdalena Dutkowska
Magdalena has just completed her freshman year at Fairfield University, where she is majoring in International Studies and Spanish and minoring in Humanitarian Action. She was born in Poland, but immigrated to the U.S. with her parents when she was three years old. Her passion for helping others began in 2011 when she volunteered for…
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Time to end the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo
Every year the United Nations Security Council renews the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in the DRC. In 1999, exactly 20 years ago, the UN Security Council established the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) with the mandate to monitor compliance of the Lusaka peace agreement. In July 2010…
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NGOs’ Call to End Support to Agro-Industrial Parks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mr. Akinwumi AdesinaPresident, African Development BankAvenue Joseph Anoma01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01Côte d’IvoireVia email: CC:Ousmane Dore, Director of Central Africa RegionDonatien Akoupo Kouassi, DRC Officer-in-ChargeJennifer Blanke, Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social DevelopmentPierre Guislain, Vice President Private Sector, Infrastructure and IndustrializationJune 5, 2019 RE: CALL TO END SUPPORT TO AGRO-INDUSTRIAL PARKS IN THE DRC (download PDF File) …
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Welcome 2019 Summer Intern Jerry Canto
Jerry Canto is from Guilford, Connecticut. He went to American University for undergrad, where he studied political science and economics. After graduating, he went into the Peace Corps for two years in Indonesia to teach English at a local high school. Returning home after two years, he worked in construction industry with a small team,…
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AFJN featured in Global Sisters Report on human trafficking in Uganda
“We are tired,” “This is too much,” “I am angry”: These were some of the comments sisters in Uganda made, after study and reflection on how the social teachings of the Catholic Church parallel to social issues affecting Uganda.
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Congolese Staff cut off first from the UN Economy in the Dem. Republic of the Congo
Congolese citizens who work for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) organized on May 6 a two-day sit-in in all field offices and antenna across the DRC. They were demanding that the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the DRC Ms. Leila Zerrougui’ s decision…
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Why Audit and Investigate the UN Mission in D.R. Congo
Africa Faith and Justice Network sent a letter to leaders of relevant congressional committees in the United states House of Representatives and the Senate urging them to hold a hearing and work with the executive branch to compel the United Nations to conduct an independent audit to establish facts about multiple allegations of wrongdoing that have come to our attention and hold those responsible accountable.
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Russian Involvement in Central African Republic
The remedy to the war in Central African Republic must take into account one of the most common drivers of armed conflicts in Africa namely the resource curse. The resource curse is the phenomenon whereby outside forces support dictatorial regimes and or finance and maintain armed conflicts to gain access to resources of a given…
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List of Female African Presidents
Who is the first female President in Africa? How many female Presidents has Africa had so far? This is one of many unknown great stories of African women. In fact, the narrative we hear often is negative, portraying African woman’s struggle and never the triumph.
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Leading the Way for Women’s Empowerment: A Profile of Ethiopia’s First Female President
Ethiopia recently got its first female president, Sahle-Work Zewde, on October 25, 2018, and she is now Africa’s only female head of state. This is a monumental change for the patriarchal country, and even though the position is mostly ceremonial, this symbolizes a shift in ideology about gender roles for Ethiopia. Ethiopia still has a…
