Latest News
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Dyer Lecture Update
The 3rd Annual Fr. Bill Dyer Lecture went quite well this year! Our speaker Nii Akuetteh’s speech will be published as a paper soon, so even if you couldn’t attend, the content will be available. The house was packed and both the food and discourse were rich. AFJN thanks the Sisters of the Holy Names…
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Conflict Minerals Trade from the Democratic Republic of the Congo: What does the US have to gain?
Colonel Emma K. Coulson, a military fellow researcher at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, says: “It benefits the US to partner with the DRC in settling their conflict and gain positive control of their natural resources,” in her paper “Impact of gender based violence on stability and security.” She argues that: “The…
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DR Congo: As Electoral Campaign Starts, Congolese and International NGOs Call for Urgent Measures to Prevent Escalating Violence
Contested election could lead to widespread violence, warns a coalition of 41 NGOsKinshasa, 28 October 2011 – The national election campaign officially starts today in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), exactly one month ahead of historic presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for November 28 2011. 41 humanitarian and human rights organizations have expressed concern…
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Responses to US Troops in Central Africa
ACHOLI RELIGIOUS LEADERS PEACE INITIATIVE October 24, 2011 Response to the Deployment of U.S. Military Advisors to LRA Affected Regions For us, the Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative (ARLPI), President Obama’s October 14th announcement that 100 U.S. troops have been deployed to the region to assist with the capture of Joseph Kony and the dismantling…
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Responses to US Troops in Central Africa
ACHOLI RELIGIOUS LEADERS PEACE INITIATIVE Response to the Deployment of U.S. Military Advisors to LRA Affected Regions For us, the Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative (ARLPI), President Obama’s October 14th announcement that 100 U.S. troops have been deployed to the region to assist with the capture of Joseph Kony and the dismantling of his Lord’s…
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Sacramento State University Faculty Say Rwandan President is not Welcome
Here we go again! After Oklahoma City, Chicago, Paris and Pittsburgh, some faculty members at Sacramento State University are also saying that Rwandan President Paul Kagame is not welcome. President Kagame was invited as a keynote speaker at Sacramento State University’s conference entitled “Negationism, Revisionism, Survivors’ Testimonies, Eyewitness Accounts, Justice and Memory.” Sacramento State University…
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Long live Zambia for a peaceful power transfer
by Hervé Cheuzeville, translated from French by Bahati Jacques. Originally published by Echo D’Afrique on September 23, 2011 A major event occurred on September 23rd, 2011. Yet it went largely unnoticed in Western countries. The stock market crisis and Mahmoud Abbas’s attempt to get recognition of a Palestinian State apparently monopolized the attention of mainstream media….
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Burundi: Preventing a Predictable Civil War
“Burundi has passed an important milestones on the path to peace, but the page of the conflict has not yet been definitively turned. Loyal support from external partners remains necessary,” says the European Network for Central Africa (EURAC) in its October report entitled Burundi: Withdrawal by International Partners Would be Disastrous for the Peace Process…
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Elections in DRC
The following article is by Jacques Bahati from the July-Sept edition of Around Africa, AFJN’s newsletter. Direct comments and questions to bahati@afjn.org Preparations for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s General Elections scheduled for November 28th, 2011 are underway. Already, members of the opposition complain of numerous irregularities throughout the electoral process. The lack of political…
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Forced to lie: Kagame Killed Presidents Habyarimana and Ntaryamira
Forced to lie: Kagame killed Presidents Habyarimana and Ntaryamira By Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa, former RPF Secretary General, Ambassador of Rwanda to the United States, and Chief of Staff for President Paul Kagame. Source: Facebook Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this document are solely those of the author and do not represent those of…
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Concession speech by his excellency, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, fourth president of the republic of Zambia, On Friday, 23rd September, 2011
“Zambia must not go backwards, we must all face the future and go forward as one nation. Not to do so would dishonour our history.” “Did we become grey and lacking in ideas? Did we lose momentum? Our duty now is to go away and reflect on any mistakes we may have made and learn…
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US: Cut the Deficit by ending aid to dictatorial regimes like Rwanda
Updated April 19, 2013 The Rwandan opposition leader, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, leader of Rwanda’s FDU-Ingiki remain in prison. She is accused of genocide denial, divisionism and terrorism by President Paul Kagame’s regime. In 2010, she returned from the Netherlands in order to run against Kagame, but she was put under house arrest and soon after…
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Should Carnegie Mellon University partner with Paul Kagame despite his criminal record?
In a letter to Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) President, Mr. Jared L. Cohon, African Great Lakes Coalition writes: If CMU is genuinely invested in sustainable peace and development in Rwanda, and if it is determined to cultivate a relationship with Kagame, we are insisting on greater caution and responsibility. We urge you to make your…
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Human Rights Advocates Denounce CMU’s Collaboration with President Kagame
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContacts: Rebecca Cech (412) 736-9889 Jeffrey Cech (724) 880-4371The Pittsburgh City Council advised caution in US support of Kagame’s government, but Carnegie Mellon University invites Rwandan president to begin a privileged relationship with the university, ignoring both local concerns and international charges against him.Wednesday, September 13, 2011 (Pittsburgh, PA) — On Friday, September 16,…
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Walikale Civil Society NGO felt the need to express its views regarding conflict minerals from eastern DRC and recent criticism in the news of Dodd-Frank Act.
By Bureau of Study, Observation, and Coordination of the Regional Development of Walikale (BEDEWA) Where does civil society stand? It is divided. A large chunk of civil society has strayed from the traditional vision and mission of civil society. It has committed to supporting and defending the interests of mining companies and mining operators. And…
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D.R. Congo Human Rights NGOs urge Parliament to pass specialized Court bill
To the Honorable Chairman and Honorable Members of Senate’s Political, Administrative, and Judicial Commission (PAJ) RE: The PAJ Commission review of the draft bill on the specialized Court Honorable Chairman, Honorable Members of Senate’s Political, Administrative, and Judicial Commission, Human rights organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) noted with satisfaction the inclusion of…
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US Conflict Mineral Law Opens the Door to Peace in the DRC
In recent weeks a debate has emerged over the merits of the conflict minerals provision in the Dodd-Frank Act. Critics of the legislation assert that the provision and those groups supporting it are responsible for causing damage to the people and communities of eastern Congo. Specifically, David Aaronson’s New York Times op-ed ‘How congress devastated Congo’ –…
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End U.S. Military and NATO aggression in Libya, says Coalition
Below is a clip from a press release discussing a recent NGO statement calling for ceasefire in Libya. AFJN was instrumental in the creation of this statement in its work with ADNA, among others, to come together in one voice and demand a peaceful, political solution to what has become a violent stalemate. Major National Organizations…
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Tanzania and the Economics of Minerals
This article is from our April-June edition of Around Africa, by Sebastien Porter, Intern Even though tensions occur every election cycle, for two decades now Tanzania has enjoyed a relatively peaceful transfer of power, a sign of a democracy-in-the-making. Different political views are represented and expressed through a stable multi-party system. According to Revenue Watch Institute, over…
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Take action against impunity in the D.R. Congo today
The widespread impunity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and lack of accountability for crimes detailed in the UN Mapping Exercise Report is appalling. Seeking peace, stability and justice in the Congo is not only in the best interest of every nation in the region, but also in line with American democratic values. Impunity…
