Johann Hari: How we fuel Africa’s bloodiest war

People throw stones at UN peacekeepers patrolling on a road in Kibati, about 16 miles north of Goma. For more pictures click on image.

The Independent

Thursday, 30 October 2008

What is rarely mentioned is the great global heist of Congo’s resources.

The deadliest war since Adolf Hitler marched across Europe is starting again – and you are almost certainly carrying a blood-soaked chunk of the slaughter in your pocket. When we glance at the holocaust in Congo, with 5.4 million dead, the clichés of Africa reporting tumble out: this is a “tribal conflict” in “the Heart of Darkness”. It isn’t. The United Nations investigation found it was a war led by “armies of business” to seize the metals that make our 21st-century society zing and bling. The war in Congo is a war about you.
Continue reading Johann Hari: How we fuel Africa’s bloodiest war

EU Bishops publish report on climate change

Independent Catholic News

An expert group set up by COMECE last January and chaired by the former EU-Commissioner Prof Franz Fischler yesterday published its report. The document: ‘A Christian View on Climate Change; underlines the huge challenge that climate change represents for mankind. It calls on European leaders to anchor their climate change policies in ethical thinking, based on inter-generational justice and solidarity towards countries of the South. The experts also call on the Church and on Christians to show an example by adopting life styles based on moderation.
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President Bush Issues a National Emergency on Congo

Dear Friends of Congo Global Action,

In a financial crisis such as the one we all are experiencing today, things may seem a little uncertain, more so for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo who have been in crisis for more than a decade and whose suffering has been immeasurable. But we shouldn’t forget that the Congolese people are still hopeful and deserve our attention and our voice so that they can have peace and prosperity for themselves and their country. Continue reading President Bush Issues a National Emergency on Congo