Latest News
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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…
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“Former Teen Soldier Asks U.S. to Help Work for Peace in Uganda”
“Former Teen Soldier Asks U.S. to Help Work for Peace in Uganda” Catholic News Service article about AFJN-sponsored Northern Uganda Lobby Day
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Bush Announces Special Envoy to Sudan
One day after tens of thousands of activists gathered in New York City to demand the immediate deployment of UN peacekeepers to Darfur, President Bush named Andrew Natsios as Special Envoy to Sudan. This promising development, however, takes place against the backdrop of a rapidly deteriorating situation in Darfur. Earlier this week, the Government of…
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U.S. House to Vote on DRC Bill on October 20th
After passing unanimously in the Senate and being approved by the Committee on International Relations in the U.S. House of Representatives,Senate Bill 2125—the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act of 2006—will move to the floor of the House where it will be voted on this Wednesday, October 20th. The Act…
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Runoff Elections to Take Place between Presidental Rivals
No clear winner emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) historic Presidential elections last July as both candidates fell short of gaining 50% of the votes. Interim President Joseph Kabila of the Party of People for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) and opposition candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba of the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo…
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Darfur Genocide Continues Two Years After U.S. Acknowledgement
The world continues to watch the horror unfold in Darfur two years after the Bush Administration declared that the atrocities committed in the region amounted to genocide. On the anniversary of that declaration, hundreds of activists congregated with Africa Action in Lafayette Park on Saturday, September 9th to demand immediate deployment of a UN peacekeeping force. The rally…
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African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2006
While the U.S. has made historic investments in the fight against global AIDS, the critical shortage of health care workers and weak health systems remain key bottlenecks to scaling up access to AIDS treatment in resource poor settings. Sustained commitment and creative action are necessary to develop and support the health workforce needed to secure the…
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U.S. Senate to Debate Somalia Resolution
The U.S. Senate is set to debate a resolution calling on the U.S. government to increase its support for “peace, democracy and development in Somalia.” Senate Resolution 460 calls on the President, with the State Department, to develop an “interagency stabilization and reconstruction strategy” for U.S. activity toward Somalia. It further urges the President to…
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Rising Sexual Violence Indication of Darfur Breakdown
Humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee reported this week that more than 200 women have been sexually assaulted in the last five weeks alone around Darfur’s largest displaced camp, Kalma. This alarming trend is yet another sign of the region’s plummeting security situation. 300 women who live in the camp convened a meeting recently to plead for more help…
