Peacebuilding Archives - Page 38 of 39

Imagine compassion in a crisis: Congo’s killing fields

2/12/2009 Africa, Conflicts and Disasters, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Emergencies, Emergencies in Congo, Peacebuilding by Caritas Communications

“All I want is for an end to this war so my family can return to our village,” said Sophie Kenzia. The people of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo were just aching to go home. They wanted safety, a dry bed and regular meals. What they got was rape, killing or a grim life in ...

South Sudan on the brink

2/12/2009 Africa, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in Darfur and South Sudan, Peacebuilding, South Sudan by Caritas Communications

The bishop’s map shows hit-and-run attacks peppering the length of Sudan’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The raids are recorded village-by-village in tallies of killed, wounded, abducted. In Bangolo, five killed, four wounded, and eleven abducted over two days in January. In Gangura, six killed and six abducted in December. In Luru, three ...

Enough to Sri Lanka’s pain

3/09/2009 Advocacy, Asia, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in Sri Lanka, Peacebuilding, Sri Lanka by Caritas Communications

Caritas is urging all sides in Sri Lanka’s civil war to end their hostilities immediately to prevent further loss of lives to children and other innocent civilians. The 25-year old conflict has reached a peak in the last year with between 70,000 and 250,000 people displaced in last remaining pocket of fighting in Vanni. Caritas ...

Goma suffers as Congo unrest continues

3/09/2009 Africa, Conflicts and Disasters, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Emergencies, Emergencies in Congo, Peacebuilding by Caritas Communications

Seven people killed and 255 houses burnt down in rebel attacks in North Kivu, eastern Congo. The news to come from Caritas Congo yesterday was bleak, like it has been for months. First there were stories of conflict and displacements, then the stories of child soldiers and rapes. Even a volcano may now erupt near Goma in ...

Kenya crisis: past, present and future

3/09/2009 Africa, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Kenya, Peacebuilding by Caritas Communications

In the course of his day’s work last week Stephen Kituku saw hungry children with swollen stomachs, dead animals on roadsides and met families who were surviving on one meal a day. He’s the National Emergency Officer for Caritas Kenya. That was one day, it’s probably safe to say that what he sees over the next ...

Kenya: a long road to reconciliation

3/09/2009 Africa, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Kenya, Peacebuilding by Caritas Communications

The crisis in Kenya in 2008 was triggered by the alleged rigging of the December 2007 preside ntial election — setting various ethnic groups against each other. What began as political violence, quickly became ethnic. By 21st January 2007, “ethnic cleansing” had resulted in displacement of more than 300,000 people of all walks of life ...

Zimbabwe: No country for old men

2/09/2009 Africa, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Food, Humanitarian Crisis in Zimbabwe, Malnutrition, Peacebuilding, Zimbabwe by Caritas Communications

Until recently, wheelbarrows in Zimbabwe were used to ferry about huge amounts of cash to buy basic food stuffs. The economy was crumbling and hyperinflation meant that even though people were suddenly millionaires, all they could afford was a loaf of bread. Then, as a cholera epidemic swept the country they were used to carry ...

Inside Sri Lanka’s camps

2/09/2009 Asia, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in Sri Lanka, Peacebuilding, Sri Lanka by Caritas Communications

Close to a quarter of a million men, women and children have arrived in camps in the north of Sri Lanka. They’ve fled months of heavy fighting between government and rebel forces, endured a lack of food and medicine, and witnessed unimaginable suffering. Caritas is one of the few international aid agencies with access into ...

Urgent appeal for Congo

2/09/2009 Africa, Conflicts and Disasters, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Emergencies, Emergencies in Congo, Peacebuilding by Caritas Communications

Caritas needs US $12 million to provide the basic needs of 400,000 people caught in escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The conditions have sharply worsened for over one million people because of an increase in fighting between foreign militias and the government’s army. The militias include the FDLR militias (Democratic Forces for ...

Conflict in Pakistan: the Caritas response

2/09/2009 Asia, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in Pakistan, Pakistan, Peacebuilding by Caritas Communications

Fighting in Pakistan has forced over 2.5 million people from their homes. There are huge gaps in meeting the needs of these people. Caritas members on the ground are already delivering aid, and are now looking to expand their operations as the humanitarian crisis grows. At least 85 percent of the people who have fled ...