Africa

This year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is being observed July 30 under the theme, Victims’ Voices Lead The Way.

At least 3,462 Christians, including ten priests or pastors, were murdered in Nigeria in the first 200 days of 2021.

On the streets of Yei in southern South Sudan, dazed youths meet for their daily dose of cocaine and marijuana. Others are seen in neglected structures consuming alcohol and using illegal substances.

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, Archbishop Emeritus of Durban reflects on the recent days of unrest in South Africa and reiterates Pope Francis’ appeal for peace in the country.

The Christian faithful in Mopti diocese of Mali express joy over the release of kidnapped Catholic Priest, Fr. Léon Dougnon after over three weeks in the custody of his abductors.

Ethiopia’s Tigray region experiences fresh fighting as TPLF forces launch a new offensive. Fighting has been going on in the conflict-torn area since November 2020 after Ethiopian authorities sent the army to oust the region’s once-dominant Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

Congolese Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, retired archbishop of Kinshasa, a biblical scholar and an activist for justice and peace, died July 11 near Paris, where he had been rushed five days earlier for medical care.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya, the top prelate in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, says the effects of the five-year secessionist war in the country “have been devastating.”

The Episcopal Conference of Chad (CET) stresses the importance of including all state actors in dialogue for national unity and reaffirms the Church's commitment to working in the service of unity, justice and peace.

Congolese Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, retired archbishop of Kinshasa, a biblical scholar and an activist for justice and peace, died July 11 near Paris where he had been rushed five days earlier for medical care.

Pope Francis, Justin Welby and Jim Wallace send a joint message to the political leaders of South Sudan encouraging them to do more to shape a nation “in which the dignity of all is respected and all are reconciled.”

The Inter-Regional Association of Bishops of Southern African (IMBISA) urges peace, dialogue and reconciliation in the wake of the eruption of violent protests in Eswatini in recent days.

A recent spate of kidnappings in Nigeria has seen the abductions of a Catholic priest, as well as 140 schoolchildren from a High school in Kaduna state.

At least two people were injured on Sunday morning after an explosion rocked a Catholic Church in Beni town of the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A strict curfew has been imposed on residents of the town as authorities continue to investigate the tragic incident.

The World Health Organisation has warned that more than half of poorer nations receiving doses via the Covax sharing programme do not have enough supplies to continue. The shortages come as many nations in Africa and Latin America are seeing a surge in infections.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet on June 21 presented a report on the rights situation in the troubled region of Ethiopia where there is also a threat of famine.

Bishop Lucius Ugorji of Umuahia has joined other Nigerians asking the federal government to unban Twitter.

Caritas, the church's charitable aid agency, is tackling unemployment in Ghana, especially for young women.

Police in Kenya arrested a suspect accused of brutally murdering a Catholic priest in 2019.

As South Africa commemorated National Youth Day on 16 June, the country’s Bishops call for racial harmony in schools and larger South African society.