Beatification of Congolese civil servant murdered for fighting corruption picks up, inspires generation
The Rev Francesco Tedeschi, an Italian priest who is spearheading the beatification cause as the postulator, said the Vatican decree of martyrdom indeed recognizes Kositi died out of hatred for the faith, because his decision to not accept the spoiled food was profoundly inspired by the Gospel.
Fresh fears of regional war as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels push into eastern Congo’s capital Goma
On Friday, the governor of eastern Congo’s North Kivu province, where Goma is the provincial capital, died of wounds sustained on the frontline. The circumstances of Maj-Gen Peter Cirimwami’s death were not immediately known – he was visiting troops fighting the rebels when he was wounded.
Corruption in successive Haiti interim governments forces civilians to opt for self-protection against coordinated gangs
It’s no surprise that Haitians have increasingly felt the need to protect themselves. A vigilante movement known as the Bwa Kale, and whose members systematically kill and burn people they suspect of being gang members, has grown significantly in recent months.
‘I heard there were Kenyan police officers in Haiti, but why are they here if we don’t see any difference?’
Wary of the lack of results, foreign governments have been reluctant to stump up the money they pledged to the mission’s trust fund. According to several sources, it now has around $100 million – far less than the $600 million needed. There are concerns that the United States, which promised $300 million, may pull back once Donald Trump takes office next week.
Cracks emerge in South Africa’s ruling coalition as President Ramaphosa is told to take responsibility for death of 87 miners
The tragedy at the abandoned gold mine near the town of Stilfontein began to unfold in August, when police cut off food supplies for a period of time to the miners working illegally in the mine’s tunnels.
Africa’s invisible wars, visible suffering: Conflicts are compounded by vulnerabilities, mass displacement and lack of political attention
Despite the grim realities, Patrick Youssef conveyed a note of optimism. He highlighted a MOU recently signed by the ICRC with the African Development Bank as a beacon of hope, and a positive step toward addressing these challenges collectively, in 2025.
Burundi’s pull out of soldiers from Somalia worries Bujumbura about how it’ll raise salaries for the military
As funding sources dried up in response to state repression, AMISOM participation became an increasingly important financial lifeline for Burundi’s government, which needed the revenue to pay its troops. Engaging in peacekeeping abroad had become vital to keeping peace at home.
Misfiring Nigerian military comes under searing criticism after its airstrikes kill 400 civilians
Since 2017, the military has killed about 400 civilians, according to SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based research firm that gathered reports and data from affected villages regarding the airstrikes. Rights groups and citizens have expressed concern over the military’s actions in Africa’s most populous country, which has been battling violent security crises on multiple fronts for many years.
Rising gaps in relationships: Why men prefer younger partners and women switch to younger men when they hit 60 years
For women, a similar but less strong effect was observed after the age of 25 years. On average, for every 10 years of age, the preferred age difference at the beginning of a new relationship between a woman and her partner rises by about one additional year.
Smartphones on cusp of becoming ‘old news’ as Big Tech develops easy-to-use smart glasses
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg thinks that within 10 years, smart glasses will overtake smartphones in both popularity and usefulness. By the time we hit the 2030s, he predicts people will be keeping their phones tucked away more than they’re using them.
