Mixed-race women sue Belgium for crimes against humanity
Brussels, BelgiumAP Five mixed-race women born in Congo when the country was under Belgian rule who were taken away from their Black mothers have filed a lawsuit for crimes against humanity targeting the Belgian state. With their claim, they hope Belgium will finally recognise its responsibility in the suffering endured by the thousands of mixed-race […]
Alarmed African churches demand end to persistent xenophobic attacks in South Africa
Nairobi, KenyaRNS As the latest wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa dies out, churches in the country and others on the continent are demanding an end to the persistent problem, affecting economic migrants in one of Africa’s biggest economies. The attacks, targeting nationals from other African countries, began in early September with mobs looting […]
Nobel laureate seeks backing for new fund to aid women raped in war
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, called on world leaders meeting in New York this week to back an international fund to help female victims of sexual violence during armed conflict. Mukwege has devoted the past 20 years to helping women raped by armed rebels, treating […]
In central Africa, Islamist militias complicate church efforts to battle Ebola
Nairobi, KenyaRNS In North Kivu, an eastern province of Congo, church leaders are stepping up their fight to halt the advance of the 40-month-old Ebola epidemic, even as the Islamic State group increasingly makes its presence felt in the troubled region. Since August, when Ebola broke out in earnest in the eastern part of the […]
Schoolgirls used as human shields in Congo due to ‘magical powers’ – charities
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Schoolgirls in the Democratic Republic of Congo were raped, forced into marriage and used as human shields by militias who believed they had “magical powers” during violence over a year ago, an investigation by a group of charities said on Monday. The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack said its […]
More food aid could boost fight against Ebola in Congo, agencies say
Dakar, SenagalThomson Reuters Foundation Giving more food aid in Ebola-struck parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo could help stop the spread of the second-biggest outbreak in history, aid agencies said on Wednesday. Food shortages are a long-standing problem in the central African country, where about 13 million people, or 15 per cent of the […]
Religious leaders in Congo urge the country to go to the polls to replace Kabila
RNS Congo is preparing for a crucial vote to elect a successor for President Joseph Kabila, who has been in power since 2001. A successful election would mean the first peaceful transition of power for a country whose rule by dictators has been broken only by coups and civil wars. But church leaders have put […]
Nobel laureate urges end to impunity on rape as weapon of war
Thomson Reuters Foundation The Congolese doctor who won this year’s Nobel peace prize has called on the world to end rape as a weapon of war, saying a “system of impunity” still prevails in many of the worst-affected countries. Denis Mukwege, joint winner of the prize with Nadia Murad, a Yazidi survivor of sexual slavery […]
LIFESTORY: CONGOLESE PENTECOSTALS SEE DENIS MUKWEGE, NOBEL PRIZE WINNING DOCTOR, AS A “BLESSING”
FREDRICK NZWILI, of Religion News Service, reports…
Abductions of two priests in DRC a growing concern
RNS Congolese soldiers arrest civilians protesting against the government’s failure to stop the killings and interethnic tensions in the town of Butembo in the country’s North Kivu province, on 24th August last year. PICTURE: Kenny Katombe/Reuters The abduction of two Roman Catholic priests in the Democratic Republic of Congo is raising concern over the […]