Recommendations for peace in Great Lakes Region
The Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) joined other organizations in writing to Russ Feingold soon after his appointment as U.S. special envoy to the Great Lakes region in Africa.
Obama’s second African safari
President Barack Obama’s second safari (“travel” in Swahili) to Africa as head of state – scheduled June 27-July 2 – raises several interesting questions: Who will accompany him and his family to Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa? With whom will Obama meet while in Africa? What issues will be discussed in public and in private? These questions may be a guide to what to look for in the Obama visit.
A new direction for U.S. policy on Africa
A new statement by the Africa Advocacy Network (ADNA) — which includes the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns — calls for a new approach to the U.S.’s trade and investment, militarization, agriculture and land policies toward Africa.
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In this reflection, Sr. Theresa Baldini remembers women she encountered in South Sudan.
Kenya: Reflections on recent election
Fr. Joe Healey, MM, wrote the following reflection on Kenya’s recent election for the May-June 2013 NewsNotes.
Zimbabwe: Serious impediments to election process
Though the date has not yet been announced, Zimbabwean voters are expected to go to the polls for parliamentary and presidential elections before August 29.
Zimbabwean bishops’ statement on 2013 election process
The following pastoral letter was published by the Zimbabwean Catholic bishops in March 2013 as the country prepares for a new round of national elections.
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Joanne Miya is a Maryknoll lay missioner serving in Tanzania.
Kenya: The voice of the people
The following article was written by Sr. Teresa Hougnon, MM, who lives and works in Kenya, where elections took place on Monday, March 4.
Africa: Drone use increases
Moral and legal questions have been raised about the Obama administration’s use of drones and by concerns that they will soon be used in Africa for targeted assassinations.
Third Sunday of Lent
This week’s scripture reflection is written by Fr. Joe Healey, who has lived and worked in East Africa for many years.
Justice for Africa — justice for the world
This year is the Africa Faith and Justice Network’s 30th anniversary of policy analysis and advocacy for good governance, peace, development and justice in Africa. A conference on the theme “Justice for Africa, justice for the world” will be held March 1-3, 2013 at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Workshops will focus…
Sudan: More than one million under attack
Since June 2011, government forces from Sudan have fought the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-North (SPLM/A-N) in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions.
DRC: The U.S. can and should do more
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the site of the world’s longest-running and most expensive peacekeeping operations, including a UN peacekeeping presence for several years after its independence in 1960 and more recent UN missions starting in the late 1990s. Despite this, an estimated five million people have died in the years since the second regional war began in 1998, and millions more have been forced to flee their homes.
Ash Wednesday
Fr. John Sivalon, who worked as a missioner in East Africa, writes the reflection for Ash Wednesday.
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sr. Connie Krautkremer, who lives and works in Dodoma, Tanzania, writes this week’s reflection.
DRC: M23 withdraws but remains nearby
The Rwandan-backed M23 militia withdrew from the eastern area of the DRC on December 1, but, according to Bloomberg news, “the rebels have remained in a ring around the city, within a 20-kilometer (12-mile) neutral zone they had agreed to leave.”
Sudan/South Sudan: Step toward peace
The following article, contributed by Marie Dennis, explains how church leaders responded to the September 27 Cooperation Agreement between Sudan and South Sudan; the agreement covers a number of areas of vital importance, including oil, security arrangements, economic affairs, the status of nationals of the other states, a framework for cooperation on central banking, borders, trade, and other matters.