Latest News
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AFJN Signs Letter Rejecting Building Foreign Militaries in the 2009 Defense Authorization Act
This week, AFJN joined 25 other organizations in signing a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee opposing the “Building Partnership Capacity of Foreign Military and Other Security Forces” in the Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2009. The Senate is marking up their version of the bill this week and will determine how…
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Buti Tlhagale OMI, Archbishop of Johannesburg on Zimbabwe Crisis
The Catholic Church in Southern Africa, concerned about the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe, speaks out. In his statement below, Buti Tlhagale OMI, Archbishop of Johannesburg and president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference is calling leaders of Southern Africa Development Community (SADEC), the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), and other African leaders…
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Church Leaders Condemn Situation in Zimbabwe
Last week, leaders of the Zimbabwe Catholic Church, Evangelical Church, and Council of Churches released a statement describing the dire situation in Zimbabwe as a result of the recent presidential elections. Continued food shortages and an upswing of violence have led the leaders to “warn the world that if nothing is done to help the…
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At the Root of the Crisis in Kenya
Many observers have expressed at least some surprise at the post-election crisis in Kenya, a crisis that has so far left more than six hundred people dead, at least 200,000 people displaced and is affecting the economies of the entire region. Kenya has been known as one of Africa’s most stable and peaceful countries. The…
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Where Research and Outreach Intersect
Two hundred and fifty Notre Dame Students attended a one-day student-led symposium on human development studies at Notre Dame on February 23, 2008. Mr. Ray Offenheiser, a Notre Dame graduate who is now the president of Oxfam America, offered the keynote. What started in September 2006 as the Millennium Development Initiative at Notre Dame University…
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AFJN Membership Passes Resolutions on AFRICOM and Congo
At AFJN’s 25th Anniversary Conference April 18-20, members of AFJN passed two resolutions. The first, a Resolution on Opposing the New U.S. Military Command for Africa (AFRICOM) , calls on the U.S. Congress to de-fund the new command and instead increase funding for development initiatives and multilateral diplomacy. Among other things, it also calls on the State…
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25th Anniversary Conference
This weekend (April 18-20), AFJN celebrates its 25th year of policy analysis and advocacy for peace and justice in Africa. Workshops on health, trade, and conflict transformation will inform participants of the issues currently affecting Africa and what can be done to ensure a more just US-Africa policy. This four-day event also includes keynote addresses…
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Zimbabwe: Decision of the People to Oust Mugabe
Zimbabweans once again tried to change their leadership by demanding the departure of President Robert Mugabe who has ruled Zimbabwe for 21 years. His dictatorship delays progress and prosperity for all Zimbabweans as they suffer from high inflation, unemployment, and food shortages. Unfortunately, the question remains: who won the presidential election on March 29, 2008? More than a week after…
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US President George Bush Visits Rwanda – Bad News for the Congolese
What does the War on Terror have to do with Rwanda? Certainly very little, but this is one of the pretexts that President Bush is using in Rwanda as he has elsewhere to strengthen US corporations access to the diverse natural resources from the other side of the Rwandan border in the Democratic Republic of…
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Legacy of Bush in Africa Difficult to Reconcile
When it comes to Africa, most American Presidents have had little interest in the continent and its people. However, over the past several administrations, the Executive Branch has sought increased involvement in African affairs, ranging from humanitarian aid to military support. Former President Bill Clinton is known around the continent for his initiatives aimed at…
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Opportunities and Challenges in Burundi
President Pierre Nkurunziza was recently in Washington and in his remarks at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars on February 6, 2008, he offered Burundi as an example of hope in a troubled Africa. Nkurunziza took office on August 26, 2005 as the second democratically elected president in Burundi. This is the fist time in…
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Triggers of Conflict in Africa
After the violence, death, and displacement in Kenya, it seems the leaders have finally agreed upon a power-sharing deal that placates both sides. Kenya’s conflict has now subsided from the news headlines and it is hoped that the country will begin to reestablish itself as a stable African nation. However, it is important that we…
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Triggers of Conflict in Africa
By Bahati Ntama Jacques After the violence, death, and displacement in Kenya, it seems the leaders have finally agreed upon a power-sharing deal that placates both sides. Kenya’s conflict has now subsided from the news headlines and it is hoped that the country will begin to reestablish itself as a stable African nation. However, it…
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Petition the U.S. Government to stop the Rwandan Government from encouraging the Congo Conflict
Since the invasion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Rwanda in 1996, the Congolese people have not experienced peace. Click here for a brief backgroundon the Congo-Rwanda conflict and how the Rwandan government is contributing to instability in eastern Congo. Please, act now to promote peace in the D. R. Congo. To this day, the…
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HIV/AIDS and Africa: The Scourge of Our Generation
Today, all churches are living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. As God’s grace holds inclusive love for all humanity, we are compelled to work together to stop the spread of the deadly virus. Today, all churches are living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. As God’s grace holds inclusive love for all humanity, we are compelled…
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25th Anniversary Conference Schedule 2008
Friday, April 18 3pm Registration/Check in 7pm Opening Session – Keynote Speaker: Ishmael Beah “Deadly Play: Children and War” Saturday, April 19 8am Breakfast, Displays open 9am Morning Prayer 9:15am Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey Sachs (Live Video Conference) “Africaand U.S. Policy: An Assessment of the Current Administration and Imperatives for the Next Administration”…
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Inform and Engage on AFRICOM
We’ve been told over and over again: the train has left the station. The new U.S. military command for Africa (AFRICOM) is already operational in Stuttgart, Germany. It has temporary funding, much of which has been transferred from other branches of the Department of Defense (DoD). It has a commander – General William “Kip” Ward….
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The Process of Restorative Justice in Sierra Leone
Q&A with Emmanuel Roberts The government of Sierra Leone requested that UN Security Council establish an international tribunal to prosecute individuals responsible for committing atrocities in the country’s brutal civil war, which broke out in 1991 and remains unresolved despite the Lomé Peace Accord of July 1999. This request was made in hopes that such…
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Rape as a Weapon of War
In wartime, the crime of rape is not a new phenomenon; but the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has no comparison. Many reports have been written calling with urgency for national and international action to end the rape pandemic in eastern Congo, but the fact is that the situation continues to…
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Water for the World Letter Signed by AFJN
On February 25th, the Water Working Group, of which AFJN is a part, delivered a letter to Congress, asking members to support the Water for the World Resolution. The text of the letter is as follows: Dear Member of Congress, At least 1.4 billion people struggle daily without access to adequate water supplies, while 2.5…
