Latest News
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Archbishop Ncube Arranges Conflict Management Training in Bulawayo
Political and economic turmoil continue to threaten the stability of the whole of Zimbabwe, but Catholics, like the media and direct political opposition, have been suffering from severe oppression by the government. Although the President of the ruling ZANU-PF party, Robert Mugabe, is a Jesuit-taught and “practicing” Catholic, he has reacted particularly negatively to a…
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US Position on Presidential Term Limits in Africa
On July 9, 2014, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, addressed the widespread modification of national constitutions by African leaders to enable them to constitutionally remain in power for life. Assistant Secretary Thomas-Greenfield said that U.S policy on constitutional dictatorships is:“…– if constitutions call for term limits, then those term limits need to…
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Crisis in South Sudan: an analysis by the Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University in South Sudan
An Interview by Barthelemy Bazemo, AFJN Policy Analyst South Sudan became the world’s youngest nation on July 9, 2011, following a referendum to be independent from Sudan. But the excitement over its independence did not last long because fighting soon erupted on December 15, 2013 over disagreement between President Salvar Kiir and his former vice-president…
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Presidential Term Limits and Stability in the Great Lakes Region
There is a consensus among African analysts that one of the continent’s greatest problems is lack of good governance. This article will make the case for presidential terms limits as a path forward to much needed political stability to spur economic development and lasting peace. Year after year, leaders in Africa promise to bring about…
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African Union Chooses Criminal Immunity Over Agriculture
By Melaura Homan-Smith, AFJN Program Coordinator On June 20-27 of this year the African Union met in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, for its 23rd Ordinary Session. The theme for this year, “2014, the Year of Agriculture and Food Security,” indicates that Africa looks to focus on meeting the nutritional needs of the African people and possibly…
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The Democratic Republic Of Congo Paradox:Time to Think the Unthinkable
In November 2013, a report, known as “the Simon Nyandu Report” after the nation’s Attorney General, was completed but never officially released. The DRC government attempted to suppress it, but it was leaked. The investigators concluded 11 companies illegally avoided $741 million in taxes and fines often with the collusion of local customs officials. After…
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Freedom for Sudanese woman who refused to renounce her Christian Faith
By Nicole Ngambwa What sort of crime did Meriam Yehya Ibrahim commit for the Sudanese government in Khartoum to imprison her while pregnant, sentence her to 100 lashes and death by hanging, and in an unexpected twist re-arrest her a day after she was freed? Meriam is a 27-year old Sudanese woman who had been…
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Freedom for Sudanese woman who refused to renounce her Christian Faith
What sort of crime did Meriam Yehya Ibrahim commit for the Sudanese government in Khartoum to imprison her while pregnant, sentence her to 100 lashes and death by hanging, and in an unexpected twist re-arrest her a day after she was freed? Meriam is a 27-year old Sudanese woman who had been imprisoned in Omdurman…
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Empowerment Project Update
Originally published in the June-Sept Edition of Around Africa. By Aniedi Okure, OP. On May 19, 2014 I set out on an eleven day trip to Accra to prepare the groundwork for AFJN’s empowerment project workshop scheduled for the fall. While in Accra, my host Fr. Eric Wiafe, director of the Center for Justice and…
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Welcome to our Summer Interns 2014: Joseph Lyons and Nicole Ngambwa
Joseph Lyons was born and raised in New Berlin, Wisconsin. Currently, he is a senior at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, with majors in English and History, and a minor in Political Science. His areas of historical interest are Africa and the Middle East. His internship with Africa Faith and Justice Network is an…
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John Kerry went to Africa, now what!
Barthelemy Bazemo Since assuming office in early February 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry made his first trip to Africa from April 29-May 5. The six-day trip took him respectively to Ethiopia, South-Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Angola. This visit was long overdue given Africa’s growing strategic and economic importance in…
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Training Youth in Hotel Services
The provincial treasurer’s office and the Saint Eloi Guest House have organized a training session in hotel services for young men and women. Thirty young people received the training. Click here to read more.
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National Catholic Reporter: AFJN’s Fr. Okure on Kidnapped Nigerian Girls
We believe that Boko Haram has succeeded in its evil acts mainly due to the larger political culture that plagues and destabilizes Nigeria.
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Bring Back Our Girls
We gather here to demand the safe and unconditional return of the kidnapped girls to their families so they can continue their education. Education is a human rights issue; it should never be denied to anyone. We unequivocally call on Boko Haram to release them now. We believe that Boko Haram has succeeded in its…
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May 9: DC Vigil for Nigerian Girls
AFJN and other groups are holding a vigil on May 9 in solidarity with the abducted girls of Nigeria. Join us tomorrow in DC! Joint Statement in Support and Solidarity with the Abducted Girls of the Government Girls School, Chibok, Nigeria May 8, 2014 – On May 9th a coalition of faith based and human rights groups and members…
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Ethiopian Security Forces: Stop Arresting and Killing Peaceful Demonstrators
News reports from East Africa indicate that Ethiopian Security Forces are using live bullets against unarmed students and farmers who are protesting against Ethiopian authorities’ plan to extend the boundaries of the capital city Addis Ababa to surrounding areas. The protest included university students in Addis Ababa, Ambo, Jimma and other cities and towns. It…
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US Foreign Aid: The Power of the Purse to Influence Africa Policy
As the saying goes: put your money where your mouth is. The latest appropriations bill, section 7042 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 (US Public Law No: 113-76) contains important general and country-specific Africa policies. Supporters of foreign aid believe that the aid money allocated for Africa in this year’s US budget is insignificant…
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Kleptocracy: US Won’t Be a Harbor for Stolen Assets
We are encouraged by the US Justice Department announcement, made on March 5, 2014, about the asset freeze of “$458 million in corruption proceeds hidden in bank accounts around the world by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and conspirators” under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative. Anyone with information about suspicious assets in the US (money in bank…
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Sowing Seeds for Justice: The Empowerment Project in Ghana
In May Father Aniedi Okure will travel to Accra, Ghana to help launch the first pilot project in AFJN’s Empowerment program. AFJN has received initial grant funds from the Institute for Policy Research at Catholic University and Be The Change Foundation to support this initiative. Accra Catholic Archbishop, Charles Palmer-Buckle, is keen on having his…
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Central African Republic and Witnessing to Religious Values
March 18, 2014 at the White House Conference Center, three prominent religious leaders from Central African Republic (CAR), Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga of Bangui, Chief Imam Omar Kabine Layama, President of CAR Islamic Community and Reverend Nicolas Guerkoyame Gbangou, Chair of Executive Committee of the Alliance of Evangelicals in CAR, held a roundtable conversation with religious…
