Africa

• 17 February 2004
  AFRICA/SIERRA LEONE - Bishops of Sierra Leone and Gambia concerned about spreading imported Muslim fundamentalism Freetown (Fides Service)- Catholic Bishops of The Gambia and Sierra Leone met from 13 to 15 February at Kenema in Sierra Leone. The meeting was attended by Archbishop Joseph Henry Ganda Archbishop of Freetown, Bishop Pat ...
• 17 February 2004
  AFRICA/GUINEA - Students demand better conditions of life and study Conakry (Fides Service) - Fifteen students arrested on 13 February during an unruly demonstration near the Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry in the Guinean capital are still detained by the police, local Church so ...
• 17 February 2004
  AFRICA/CONGO RD - “We are grieved by the fact that instead of working for social development our national leaders assign social advantages to themselves openly demonstrating disinterest for the people’s wellbeing ” say Catholic Bishops of Congo Kinshasa (Fides Service) - The process of political transition in the Democratic Republic of Congo is too slow according to the Catholic Bishops. This was affirmed in a Message “For love of Congo, I will not be silent� ...
• 16 February 2004
  AFRICA/THE GREAT LAKES REGION - Democratic Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. Rev. Ferdinando Colombo, vice president of VIS reports on progress of development programme launched three years ago by this Salesian volunteer aid agency Rome (Fides Service)- The Italian development agency VIS (Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo), sponsored by the Salesian Fathers has various programmes in the countries of the Great Lakes region of Africa, Democ ...
• 16 February 2004
  AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Reports of more fighting in south west Ethiopia where ethnic tension, oil, gold and foreign interests make an explosive mixture Gambella (Fides Service)- The situation is still confused in Gambella, south west Ethiopia, where international media say that since January 200 people have been killed and at least 10,000 have fled their homes because o ...
• 16 February 2004
  AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - Camillian Fathers caring for the sick in Africa: Fides speaks to one of the many missionaries who have chosen to live among some of the poorest people on earth Rome (Fides Service) - Forty years have passed since the first Camillian Fathers arrived in 40 Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, where today a parish dedicated to Saint Camillus stands in an area of 200 square km of ...
• 13 February 2004
  AFRICA/ZAMBIA - Rising crime rate, bad management of resources, AIDS. Association of Catholic Women Religious in Zambia voice concern Lusaka (Fides Service) - “As most of the sisters in Zambia work with the disadvantaged sector of the population, we would like once again to voice our concern on the behalf of these people”. In a press statement issu ...
• 12 February 2004
  AFRICA/SUDAN - Officially the war in Darfur is over but some say the exact opposite is true and they ask for dialogue to prevail. “The government must behave like a father who has a problem with his son and sits down to talk to solve it together” says Sudanese Bishop Macram Max Gassis Khartoum (Fides Service ) - Opinions differ with regard to the war in the region of Sudan’s eastern region of Darfur. While the government says most of its military operations in the area have been concluded, others af ...
• 10 February 2004
  AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - Head Master of the Brothers of Christian Schools College in Bobo Dioulasso found murdered in his office Bobo Dioulasso (Fides Service) – Brother Ignacio Garcia Alonso, head master of the College of the Brothers of Christian Schools in Bobo Dioulasso was found dead in his office on 6 February, but the incident was reporte ...
• 10 February 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Dismissed governor of Bukavu hands arsenal to United Nations Mission: details of disarmament operation: download photos of weapons consignment Bukavu (Fides Service )- A reconciliatory gesture has been made by Xavier Chiribanya former governor of South Kivu (Democratic Congo), dismissed on 7 February (see Fides 9 February). The former governor has consigned a ...
• 10 February 2004
  AFRICA/IVORY COAST - Catholic missionaries in Korhogo attacked and robbed by militia of “warlord” killed on Sunday Abidjan (Fides Service) - A clash between factions of the same rebel group which controls the northern part of Ivory Coast is at the basis of the death of Adam Couliby, one of the main leaders of the Ivorian militia kill ...
• 9 February 2004
  EUROPE/GERMANY - “Uganda: a war the world has forgotten”. Religious leaders visit Germany to win support from government and Churches to put an end to 18 years of civil war Aachen (Fides Service) – From 9 to 13 February the chairmen of ARLPI, Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative, the Catholic Archbishop of the northern Ugandan diocese of Gulu Archbishop John Baptist Odama and Angl ...
• 9 February 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Governor of Bukavu, in east Congo, suspended. Disquieting questions reported to Fides with regard to latest events Bukavu (Fides Service)- There is a situation of uncertainty in Bukavu southern Kivu (south-east Democratic Congo) since the governor Xavier Chiribanya was suspended on Saturday 7 February. The decision was taken by the m ...
• 9 February 2004
  AFRICA/CHAD – The role of women in the Church and in Society: Pastoral Letter by Bishop Edmond Djitangar of Sarh Sarh (Fides Service)- “Women are fully members of our Church-Family” Bishop Edmond Djitangar Bishop of Sarh, southern Chad, wrote in a recent Letter Pastoral addressed to the Church-Family-of-God “To draw attention ...
• 6 February 2004
  AFRICA/SUDAN - “Father what is peace? A pause between battles?”… This is the challenge facing the Church in Sudan: to help bring peace to hearts hardened by 20 years of war Rome (Fides Service)- “Peace brings new challenges to the Church in Sudan” missionaries with years of experience in this country, told Fides. “If all goes well in a few months the government and separatists will si ...