Africa

• 4 February 2005
  AFRICA/ANGOLA - 300,000 students, 230 primary schools, 59 middle schools and a university with 1,700 students preparing to accommodate 10,000: Catholic education in Angola - concrete commitment of Catholics in favour of Africa Luanda (Fides Service)- The Catholic Church in Angola is committed to guaranteeing children the right to education. Thanks to this commitment there are 80 Catholic schools in the capital Luanda alone. In the country ther ...
• 3 February 2005
  AFRICA/MADAGASCAR - “Most of Tulear is still under water. Mission structures seriously damaged”: Testimonial from, Tulear, south west Madagascar after cyclone Ernest Tulear (Fides Service)- “A sea of mud and water invaded most homes in districts closest to the sea” said Father. Leonardo, ad interim director of Radio Don Bosco news programme in Madagascar, speaking from Tulear, in ...
• 3 February 2005
  AFRICA/KENYA - Masai and Kikuyu agree to share water resources. “Local Church played an important part in helping to solve the dispute” Consolata missionary told Fides Nairobi (Fides Service) - Masai and Kikuyu tribes in a place a hundred kilometres south west of the capital Nairobi have settled a dispute of water resources (see Fides 1 February 2005). The chiefs agreed to find a way t ...
• 3 February 2005
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - “Every week in the world poverty kills like a tsunami” say Catholic Bishops of Southern Africa Pretoria (Fides Service)- Poverty kills the equivalent of a tsunami every week throughout the world. This was affirmed by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference SACBC in a statement issued during their plen ...
• 2 February 2005
  AFRICA/CÔTE D'IVOIRE - Thousands of refugees along no man’s land between rebels and army troops helped only by missionaries Bahiakro (Fides Service)- “It is easy to talk about stalemate in Côte d'Ivoire while sitting at an international meeting. It is not so easy when you are faced with thousands of women and children fleeing violence” a ...
• 1 February 2005
  AFRICA/KENYA - “30 dead in clashes in Kenya arising from water dispute between sedentary farmers and nomad herdsmen rather than political manipulation” Father Ferrari, Consolata Mission and National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Kenya told Fides Kenya (Fides Service)- Some 30 people have been killed in tribal clashes in various parts of Kenya over recent weeks Consolata Father Eugenio Ferrari, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Kenya told ...
• 1 February 2005
  AFRICA/BURUNDI - Parishes in Burundi collect aid to face food shortage. The future of the country and outcome of constitutional referendum: local priest talks to Fides Bujumbura (Fides Service)- In northern Burundi thousands are facing food shortage emergency due to prolonged drought (see Fides 12 and 20 January 2005). “At least 90 people in Muyinga diocese are reported dead” a loc ...
• 1 February 2005
  AFRICA - special African Union summit on crises in Côte d'Ivoire, Darfur and Congo adopts Common Defence pact and fight against AIDS Abuja (Fides Service) - Africa wants to have more say on the international scene and take its future in its own hands. This was the first impression which emerged at the end of the African Union summit which closed yest ...
• 31 January 2005
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Kisangani International African Institute to train lay Catholics for activity in politics Kisangani (Fides Service) - The Archdiocese of Kisangani intends to open an International African Institute of Kisangani for the formation of lay Catholics for activity in the social, political and economic fields. In ...
• 31 January 2005
  AFRICA/SOMALIA - The forgotten tsunami tragedy in Somalia: a report from AIFO Rome (Fides Service)- “Somalia and its people continue to suffer the consequences of 13 years of civil war, internal conflict, volatile politics and poverty which makes them one of the poorest and most vulnerable peopl ...
• 21 January 2005
  AFRICA/IVORY COAST - Two years on from peace agreement signed in France in 2003 Ivory Coast divide ever deeper Abidjan (Fides Service)- Ever more deeply divided Ivory Coast is having trouble pushing ahead with its peace process. Two years since peace was signed in France on 24 January 2003 ending civil war started in September 20 ...
• 21 January 2005
  AFRICA/ANGOLA - “Elections? Perhaps in 2006”. Angola’s arduous journey to democracy Luanda (Fides Service)- “There is no date, but Angola should hold its first elections in peacetime in 2006” a local church source in the Angolan capital Luanda which still bears the signs of 25 years of civil war w ...
• 20 January 2005
  AFRICA/BURUNDI - “The present food shortage in Burundi is due to climatic conditions but it is also a quesion of structures and market ” local source told Fides Bujumbura (Fides Service)- United Nations World Food Programme WFP has issued a hunger warning for Burundi, following a local alarm last week (see Fides 12 January 2005). According to the UN organisation, more than half ...
• 20 January 2005
  AFRICA/GHANA - Regional crisis, currency, common agricultural policy and electicity were some of the topics discussed by heads of state at a meeting of the Economic Community of West African Countries which ended today Rome (Fides Service)- A summit meeting of CEDEAO/ECOWS, Economic Community of West African Countries, held in Accra, capital of Ghana, closed today with the nomination of Niger President Mamadou Tandja, as presidente of ...
• 19 January 2005
  AFRICA/KENYA - Dominican Community and locals mourn US born missionary Thomas Heath who died of injuries sustained when thugs attacked a religious house in north west Kenya Nairobi (Fides Service) - Yesterday 18 January the Dominican community in Nairobi gathered for the funeral of American born Dominican Father Thomas Richard Heath who died at the age 85 on January 13, in Aga Khan Hospital ...