Africa

• 19 December 2008
  AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - “Free all the captives by January 1 or we will call off negotiations with the Presidential party,” says opposition leader Harare (Agenzia Fides) - “The MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) can no longer be seated at the same negotiation table with a party that kidnaps our members and other innocent civilians, and denies them the right to ...
• 18 December 2008
  AFRICA/KENYA - “Let us remain calm and read the text of the law,” the Catholic Church affirms as the controversy over the press law continues Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – Following the approval of the new law on the press, the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2008, “the atmosphere in the country has been of anxiety and uncertainty,” says a statement s ...
• 18 December 2008
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - “It is now time for South Africa to isolate Mugabe,” says Cardinal Napier, spokesman for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Johannesburgo (Agenzia Fides) – “It is now time to isolate Mugabe completely and to remove all forms of moral, material or tacit support for him and his party,” says Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, Archbishop of Durban (S ...
• 17 December 2008
  AFRICA/NIGERIA - “The Imperative of Peace and Reconciliation”: message from the Bishops of Nigeria, on their delegation's visit to Rwanda Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - “The context of our visit...is defined by our desire to reinforce the spirit of solidarity and mutual interdependence between the Church in Nigeria and the Church in Rwanda. It is our hope and w ...
• 17 December 2008
  AFRICA/SOMALIA - UN authorizes air and land raids against Somali pirates, with consent from local government which is suffering serious internal conflict Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) – Somalia is now positioned in the heart of an intense diplomatic and military activity, following a resolution from the UN Security Council authorizing countries to send in their naval forces ...
• 16 December 2008
  AFRICA - In 2009, the Society of African Missions will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the death of their Founder, Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac, and inaugurate three new Districts in Africa Rome (Agenzia Fides) – In 2009, the Society of African Missions (SMA) will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the death of its founder, French Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac (1813-1859), who arrived in Freetown ( ...
• 16 December 2008
  AFRICA/KENYA - Protest on the new information law; Cardinal Njue expresses his concern for the freedom of the media and encourages journalists to remember their responsibility Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – Lively protests are being carried out in Kenya, following the approval of a new information law that establishes tighter regulations on freedom of the press. Some fifty journalists and members ...
• 16 December 2008
  AFRICA/TOGO - Togo abolishes the death penalty, while the African Union invites all the countries on the continent to a moratorium on all forms of capital punishment Lome (Agenzia Fides) – Togo has joined the other countries who have decided to outlaw the death penalty. On December 13, the government in Lome announced a law abolishing capital punishment. “The country's choice t ...
• 15 December 2008
  AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - “Take the common good seriously and give the country a chance of survival,” three missionaries tell participants in the “Inclusive dialogue” in the Central African Republic. Bangui (Agenzia Fides) - “As missionaries, we are committed to always going out to help the people, who are victims of the rebels, bandits, and military. We have wished to address an open letter to the participants in ...
• 15 December 2008
  AFRICA/UGANDA - Joint offensive formed by Uganda, Congo, and South Sudan, against Ugandan LRA rebels in Congo Kampala (Agenzia Fides) – The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which for 20 years has sown death and destruction in northern Uganda, has once again taken up arms. “The Armed Forces of Uganda (UPDF), the Democratic Repu ...
• 12 December 2008
  AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - Cardinal Maradiaga, President of Caritas Internationalis, expresses his concern for the whereabouts of human rights activists kidnapped in Zimbabwe Harare (Agenzia Fides) - “News of the abduction of Jestina Mukoko is disturbing. She is a respected human rights defender and valued partner of Caritas. Ms Mukoko and all other human rights defenders that have been abd ...
• 12 December 2008
  AFRICA/MALAWI - “The increase in grain prices is hurting families,” a missionary from Malawi says Lilongwe (Agenzia Fides) – The startled citizens are asking themselves, “Will famine return?” says Fr. Piergiorgio Gamba, a Monfortian missionary who has been working in Malawi for decades, in a brief update sent t ...
• 11 December 2008
  AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - “We have overcome the cholera,” President Mugabe says, while South Africa declares a health emergency in the area bordering Zimbabwe Harare (Agenzia Fides) – While Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe announces that the cholera epidemic has been “stopped,” South Africa is declaring a health emergency in the area of the country that borders Zimbabw ...
• 10 December 2008
  AFRICA/SIERRA LEONE - “There are encouraging signs, but the country is in need of aid from all of us,” a missionary from Sierra Leone says Freetown (Agenzia Fides) - “After the peaceful and democratic elections of last year, it is evident that all Sierra Leone is making an effort to change the bad habits and negative aspects of the past and build a better ...
• 10 December 2008
  AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - External pressures mount, calling for Mugabe's resignation; however real danger is the army Harare (Agenzia Fides) – It is not so much the requests from leaders of various important nations (including in Africa) that he let go of the reigns, as it is the alarming signs coming from the army, that worry Zimbabw ...