Africa

• 5 July 2004
  AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Addis Ababa at the centre of continental diplomacy. Tomorrow African Union Summit. From capital of Ethiopia UN Secretary-General suggests a ‘Green Revolution’ for Africa Addis Ababa (Fides Service)- The Darfur tragedy, the situation in Democratic Republic of Congo, the crisis in Ivory Coast, tension between Ethiopia and Eritrea. These are the main themes on the agenda for discussion by h ...
• 5 July 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - “With the re-opening of the border with Rwanda, Bukavu can breath again at last” local sources tell Fides Kinshasa (Fides Service)- “On Saturday 3 July at 10am to border between Congo and Rwanda was opened and supply trucks started to cross into Congo. This is an important sign of hope for a speedy return to normality ” ...
• 2 July 2004
  AFRICA/CHAD - Darfur Crisis: UN High Commission for Refugees continues to assist 100,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad. Massive air lift to supply aid. But unless the violence is stopped it is like pouring water into a bottomless bucket! Rome (Fides Service)- The United Nations High Commission for Refugees UNHCR has begun an air lift to carry extremely urgent emergency aid to tens of thousands of Sudanese who have fled to Chad from the western Sudanese r ...
• 2 July 2004
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - “The new law on firearms will be a u turn for South Africa’s Far West mentality” spokesman of Southern African Bishops’ Conference told Fides. It is also a victory for NGOs backed by the local Church Johannesburg (Fides Service)- “This is definitely positive fact and a step forward to change a widespread Far West mentality in South Africa ” Rev. Efrem Tresoldi, spokesman of the Southern African Bishops’ Confere ...
• 1 July 2004
  AFRICA/KENYA - Tragedy in Kenya food poisoning from Aflotoxin on maize Machakos diocese calls for help Nairobi (Agenzia Fides)- The Food Poisoning Disaster started on 8 April this year and affected parts of Kibwezi Deanery which covers Makindu, Kibwezi, Kambu and Mutito Andei parishes. There were 35 reported deaths, over ...
• 1 July 2004
  AFRICA/RWANDA - Italian movement to fight world hunger plans 20 km power line to supply electricity for 40,000 people in Muhura district Rome (Fides Service ) - The Italian Movimento per la Lotta contro la Fame nel Mondo in collaboration with Barnabite missionary Father Mario Falconi, has officially started a programme to supply electricity to the norther ...
• 30 June 2004
  AFRICA/MADAGASCAR - “Plan to destabilise the government behind attacks on national independence day” missionary with long experience in Madagascar tells Fides Antananarivo (Fides Service)-“There are political forces which want the situation in Madagascar to precipitate” Salesian Father Cosimo Alvati, director of Radio don Bosco in Antananarivo, told Fides with regard to at ...
• 28 June 2004
  AFRICA - More than 30 million small arms in 44 countries Sub-Saharan Africa: we are concerned experts say but “the problem can be solved” Rome (Fides Service)-According to an annual report issued by the independent organisation Small Arms Survey there at least 30 million small arms in Africa. The organisation, which studies the diffusion and impact of smal ...
• 26 June 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - From Congo swept once again by the winds of war the last tesimony of a Xaverian missionary Uvira (Fides Service)- “He wanted to die here among the people he served for more than 30 years” Italian Xaverian missionary, Father Luigi Lo Stocco, director of Radio Maria “Wa Amani” in Bukavu in the east of De ...
• 25 June 2004
  AFRICA/ZAMBIA - Radio Liseli new channel of hope opened by Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate Lusaka (Fides Service)- A new Catholic radio station has been inaugurated in Zambia. Radio Liseli in an initiative of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. According to DIA a local news agency the radio has two obje ...
• 25 June 2004
  AFRICA/BURUNDI - “In Burundi all the warring parties are guilty of crimes against civilians” Human Rights Watch denounces Bujumbura (Fides Service)- “Everyone is pleased with the progress towards peace but they seem to forget that outside the capital for hundreds of thousands of people war continues ” Alison Des Forges, head of the Afri ...
• 25 June 2004
  AFRICA/SUDAN - “Only justice brings real peace. I will tell this to the American Secretary of State when he comes to Sudan” said Bishop Macram Max Gassis, Catholic Bishop of El Obeid Khartoum (Fides Service)- “The fact that Mr Colin Powell is coming to Sudan is a positive sign. I want to meet him, to plead the cause of the weakest members of our country” Bishop Macram Max Gassis, Sudanese Catholi ...
• 24 June 2004
  AFRICA - From Africa to the Americas sects thrive on religious syncretism Rome (Fides Service)-It is not easy to free ourselves of false idols and false beliefs. We are surrounded by magic practices of various types…millions of people live on the borders between pseudo religious practices, s ...
• 23 June 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - “Ethnic violence in Congo can be stopped on the condition that foreign interference is stopped” says Enoch Ruberangabo Sebineza a member of the Banyamulege Tutsi people in east Congo Kinshasa (Fides Service)- “We Congolese will be able to settle our disputes peacefully on the condition that foreign interference stops” said Enoch Ruberangabo Sebineza, member of Democratic Congo’s National Assemb ...
• 23 June 2004
  AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Not everyone knows that according to tradition the Tables of the Law are kept in Ethiopia. Local people tell the story Rome (Fides Service)- According to popular tradition the Tables of the Law are preserved in Ethiopia. The Queen of Sheba stole the Tables from Solomon and kept them at Axum her palace, the remains of which were discovere ...