Africa

• 29 May 2004
  AFRICA/UGANDA - President of Holy See’s Council for Justice and Peace Cardinal Renato Martino visits war torn Uganda: solemn Mass on June 3 to commemorate Ugandan Martyrs. Vatican City (Fides Service) - The President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Renato R. Martino will visit Gulu, Kalongo and Kitgum three towns in war torn northern area of Uganda. The main purpo ...
• 29 May 2004
  AFRICA/ANGOLA - A forgotten war. “The Church has no political interest in the crisis in Cabinda, but it cannot remain silent in the face of the tragedy afflicting the people ” says Catholic Vicar General of Cabinda diocese Rome (Fides Service)- “We must emphasise that the Church’s activity is always pastoral, never political ” Mgr Raul Tati, Vicar General of the diocese of Cabinda, said in his intervention at a two day Seminar held 2 ...
• 28 May 2004
  AFRICA/SUDAN Now that southern Sudan war has ended, tragedy in Darfur must not be forgotten Roma (Fides Service)- Although a peace agreement has ended the war in southern Sudan (see Fides 27 May 2004), the conflict in the western Sudan region of Darfur is still a tragic reality. In Darfur Arab government, mili ...
• 28 May 2004
  AFRICA/SWAZILAND - Letter from the African forest: Italian missionary Father Angelo Ciccone fifty years of giving lepers love and hope Mzimpofu (Fides Service) - The precarious conditions which missionaries face in the mission territory to which they are called does not undermine their determination to serve their brothers and sisters in need, indeed th ...
• 27 May 2004
  AFRICA/SUDAN - Points of peace agreement signed yesterday ending civil war in southern Sudan. Conflict in western region of Darfur still unsolved. Khartoum (Fides Service)- An agreement to end more than twenty years of civil war between the Sudanese government and SPLA Sudan Peoples Liberation Army was finally signed yesterday 26 May at Naivasha, some 70 km from th ...
• 27 May 2004
  AFRICA/CONGO RD - Fighting in Bukavu east Congo. Uncertainty with regard the dimensions of the episode Kinshasa (Fides Service)-“The situation in Kivu is confused and it is difficult to say what exactly is happening” Xaverian missionaries told Fides. “Shooting continues in the city of Bukavu on the outskirts not far ...
• 27 May 2004
  AFRICA/SENEGAL - Crowds mourn Cardinal Hyacinthe Thiandoum one of 30 African bishops who attended Vatican II. Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples sends local Church message of condolence: “In love with God and mankind, he strove to build peace, harmony and unity in his country”. Dakar (Fides Service) - Crowds gathered in Dakar Cathedral this morning 27 May to pay their last respects to Cardinal Hyacinthe Thiandoum, emeritus Archbishop of Dakar who died at the age of 83 on May 18 in Marseilles, F ...
• 27 May 2004
  AFRICA/CONGO RD - Confusion reigns in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the scene of fighting for the past few days Bukavu (Fides Service)- The situation in Bukavu, in southern Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC) where there has been fighting for some days now between troops loyal to the central government in K ...
• 26 May 2004
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - The unknown plight of Great Lakes refugees in South Africa: an Italian Scalabrini missionary reports to Fides Cape Town (Fides Service) - Cape Town has at 35,000 refugees from central African countries mainly from Democratic Congo, Rwanda, Burundi. “We have no exact figures because in the case of families the police assign one ...
• 26 May 2004
  AFRICA/MALAWI - Opposition calls for repeat of 20 May elections. Protests and violence. Catholic media are threatened Lilongwe (Fides Service)- Protests and denouncement of electoral fraud continue in Malawi after Bingu wa Mutharika the leader of the party in power was declared the winner of presidential elections on May 20, (see Fides ...
• 26 May 2004
  AFRICA/UGANDA - North Uganda: “The world’s most serious humanitarian emergency” says AVSI delegate for Africa Rome (Fides Service)- “The situation in northern Uganda is the most serious humanitarian emergency in the whole world at this moment ” said Giampaolo Silvestri, head of AVSI (Associazione Volontari per il Servizio In ...
• 25 May 2004
  AFRICA - African Union inaugurates new Council for Peace and Security charged with promoting peace on the continent Rome (Fides Service)- On May 24 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the UA, African Union which replaced the Organisation for African Unity in 2002, inaugurated its new Council for Peace and Security. The council's o ...
• 25 May 2004
  AFRICA/MALAWI - Mixed feelings: a missionary sends Fides a comment after accouncement of election results Lilongwe (Fides Services)- The official results of elections in Malawi on 20 May (see Fides 18 and 22 May) confirmed as president Bingu wa Mutharika, candidate of the UDF party with 1.119,000 votes 140,000 more than Joh ...
• 25 May 2004
  AFRICA/IVORY COAST - “Dialogue at deadlock” locale Church sources told Fides commenting the battle in Ivory Coast between President and Premier Abidjan (Fides Service)- “Dialogue has reached a deadlock and there seems to be no way out” said a local Church source in Abidjan, Ivory Coast where the political crisis between the President Laurent Gbagbo and the O ...
• 25 May 2004
  AFRICA/LIBERIA - Disarmament of Liberian factions proceeds. Tragedy of refugees trying to return to Liberia Monrovia (Fides Service)-“ Disarmament of Liberian factions proceeds despite difficulties ” SMA Provincial Father Mauro Armanino in Monrovia told Fides. Most of the rebels who are handing in their arms are young boys ...