Africa

• 24 November 2008
  AFRICA/BURUNDI - Community of Saint Egidio calls abolition of the death penalty “a historic decision” Bujumbura (Agenzia Fides) - “The Parliament in Burundi has abolished the death penalty in the country, adopting a new penal code with 90 votes in favor, none against, and 10 abstentions. Now that the Great Lakes Region ...
• 24 November 2008
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - Grief and indignation at the murder of another Radio Okapi journalist Bukavu (Agenzia Fides) – Great grief and indignation arose in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu (eastern Democratic Republic of Congo), at the murder of Didace Namujimbo, a journalist of Radio Okapi, informational agen ...
• 21 November 2008
  AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - “Pro Orantibus” Day - In 45 years' time, the Redemptorists have opened two monasteries, with a positive response among Burkina's youth Diabo (Agenzia Fides) – The Redemptorist Sisters, founded in 1731 by Italian religious Mother Maria Celeste Crostarosa, are now present on all the continents of the world. In southern Africa, they are in Burkina Faso, ...
• 21 November 2008
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - Jesuit Refugee Services' appeal: the conflict in Congo is jeopardizing the education of an entire generation of children Goma (Agenzia Fides) – Jesuit Refugee Services is showing its deep concern for the humanitarian catastrophe in the North Kivu, particularly the effects on children, in a statement issued on November 20, for the celebra ...
• 20 November 2008
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - “We are seeing troubling signs of a possible spreading of the war into South Kivu,” local Church sources tell Fides Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - “We are seeing signs of a plan to launch hostilities, which would include South Kivu,” Agenzia Fides was told by a local Church source (we withhold their name for security reasons) in Bukav ...
• 20 November 2008
  AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - Health complex run by Camillian missionaries, at the service of the people Ouagadougou (Agenzia Fides) – When they arrived in what was then Upper Volta (Burkina Faso's name at the time), in 1967, the Daughters of Saint Camillus (the Camillians) began a network of healthcare centers, offering ...
• 19 November 2008
  AFRICA/SUDAN - “The peace accord for the South is losing strength”: Sudan’s Bishops send out an alert Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) - “We are worried about the fact that the letter and the spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) is losing its strength among the main signers, as well as among its supporters and those ...
• 19 November 2008
  AFRICA/CONGO - Partial retreat of rebel troops from the area surrounding Goma Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – The CNDP (National Congress for the Defense of the People) rebels, led by Laurent Nkunda, are retreating from the area surrounding Goma (capital of North Kivu, eastern Congo). This is what a ...
• 18 November 2008
  AFRICA/SOMALIA - Chaos mounts as rescue attempts continue for captured religious sisters Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) – The international community is once again focusing its gaze on Somalia, where the situation in the territory controlled by the National Transitional Government, supported by Ethiopian troops ...
• 18 November 2008
  AFRICA/CONGO - North Kivu: more fighting between the regular army and pro-government militias Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – More fighting has been reported in Kanyabayonga, an important strategic location in North Kivu, in eastern Congo. The fighting is taking place between the regular army and the “Mai-Mai” p ...
• 17 November 2008
  AFRICA/GUINEA BISSAU - Legislative elections take place in peace, however drug-trafficking remains an issue Bissau (Agenzia Fides) – Legislative elections took place in peace in Guinea Bissau yesterday, when half a million voters voted for 100 representatives in the National Assembly. In order to guarantee the legality of th ...
• 17 November 2008
  AFRICA/RWANDA - Exports record for Rwandan minerals, in spite of international financial crisis Kigali (Agenzia Fides) – The exportation of minerals from Rwanda reached a record worth of 70 million dollars in nine months. This is what Rwandan Minister for Natiral Resources and Minerals, Vincent Karega, said. � ...
• 14 November 2008
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - “There is a silent genocide taking place in east Congo, right before our very eyes,” say Congolese Bishops, in an urgent plea to the international community Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – The Bishops of the Permanent Committee of the Congolese Bishops' Conference (CENCO) have issued a “cry of grief and protest,” saying that they are “disturbed and overcome by the human t ...
• 14 November 2008
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - “Indescribable and often unknown damage”: testimony of the Bishop of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, now in the hands of rebels Goma (Agenzia Fides) – There seems to be a break in the fighting in North Kivu (eastern Democratic Republic of Congo) taking place between the Congolese army and rebels led by Laurent Nkunda, who have concentrated thei ...
• 13 November 2008
  AFRICA/SUDAN - Sudanese President announces ceasefire in Darfour, however rebels do not comply Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) - “I hereby announce our immediate unconditional ceasefire between the armed forces and the warring factions, provided that an effective monitoring mechanism is put into action and observed by ...