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Goma
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Seattle
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ECI in the News
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| Washington Post: Clinton, Affleck promote effort to reduce child mortality rate with breastfeeding, vaccines
6/14/12
What do Hollywood superstar Ben Affleck and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have in common? Both Clinton and Affleck think every child across the world deserves a fifth birthday. Read More...
Politico: Ending child mortality
Ben Affleck and Rajiv Shah
6/13/12
More than 7 million children - most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia - are expected to die this year before reaching their fifth birthday. These kids will never have the chance to follow a passion or fulfill their potential. Read More... U.S. Department of State: Remarks at the Child Survival Forum
Hillary Clinton
6/14/12
...Now I get to exercise one of the perks of being Secretary of State, and that is to welcome the next speaker, a tireless partner in this effort, someone whose work has shined a bright light on the struggles facing the people of Eastern Congo, particularly women and children. When I visited there in 2009, I saw firsthand how the Eastern Congo Initiative is supporting civil society groups to meet some of the biggest challenges in that country. Read More... UNICEF: Child Survival Call to Action challenges the world to reduce child mortality
Chris Niles
6/14/12
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World pledges to end preventable child deaths
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Actor and Founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative Ben Affleck said that in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the world's poorest nations, a targeted plan to reach the most vulnerable would bring big huge gains for child survival. Read More...
The Daily Beast: Hillary and Ben Affleck Team Up 6/13/12 These days it takes some star power to get some good causes noticed, and both Hillary Clinton and Ben Affleck are lending some of theirs to help prevent childhood deaths. Read More... Politico: Ben Affleck to visit D.C. for Call to Action 6/8/12
Ben Affleck is set to swing through Washington next week in an effort to raise awareness about preventable child mortality around the globe. Read more... |
Perspectives/Media
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| WATCH...
BBC Video: Fears as DR Congo conflict threatens nature reserve
READ...
Warscapes Opinion: A View from Goma
Laura Seay
6/14/12
Goma has changed. What just a few years ago was a tense city under frequent rumors of impending invasion by armed groups is now generally at peace. Where eight feet of solid lava rock buried buildings along the city's main street after a 2002 volcanic eruption, there is now a well-paved road, streetlights, and shiny new, three-story buildings housing banks, shops, and businesses of every kind. That is not to say that all is perfect; inflation runs rampant, most roads are still rocky messes, and petty crime is a major problem. But it seems that after more than a decade of suffering the effects of war, Goma is finally on an upward trajectory. Read More...
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Conflict and child soldiers
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| Reuters: Mutineers seize territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
6/15/12
Mutineers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have seized territory near the Rwandan border after an offensive against government troops, UN and government officials said on Friday. Read More...
UN News Service: DR Congo: UN envoy stresses need to end armed mutiny, suffering of civilians
6/13/12
It is vital to put an end to the armed mutiny that began in April in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which has led to a worsening of the security situation and a major displacement of civilians, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today. Read More...
Business Live: Illegal weapons fuel killing, rape in Congo
 6/12/12
Rebel troops carried out killings and rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), armed with weapons smuggled into the country, Amnesty International said in a report released Tuesday. Read More...
Voice of America: DRC Government Rules Out Talks With Rebels
Nick Long
6/11/12
The Democratic Republic of Congo's government has ruled out negotiations with rebel groups. It has also accused Rwanda of failing to stop Congolese rebels recruiting and resupplying in Rwandan territory. Read More...
Reuters: FACTBOX: Violence in eastern Congo
6/12/12
After years of relative peace, Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province has been gripped by two months of clashes that have killed several hundred fighters and forced more than 100,000 civilians from their homes. Read More...
The New Times: Rwanda: Govt Dismisses DRC Accusations
James Tasamba
6/11/12
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Government Spokesperson, Louise Mushikiwabo, has said Rwanda has no interests in meddling in the internal affairs of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Read More... AP: Congo's government says fighters staging rebellion in east were trained, recruited in Rwanda
6/10/12
Congo's government spokesman says that hundreds who have staged a rebellion in the country's east were recruited and trained in Rwanda. Read More...
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Joseph Kony and the LRA
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| Reuters: U.N. chief warns of lack of resources in Kony hunt
Michelle Nichols
6/15/12
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has warned that an African Union and U.S.-backed military force hunting fugitive warlord Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army lacks resources needed to be effective. Read More...
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Gender-based violence
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| Council on Foreign Relations: Ask the Experts: Preventing Sexual Violence
Micah Zenko
6/11/12
Last week, forty members of Congress re-introduced the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA). As Amnesty International's Cristina Finch explains, the I-VAWA "would coordinate and improve the U.S. government's efforts to stop this global scourge by making it a priority in diplomatic and foreign assistance initiatives. This will help to ensure that the United States lives up to its international responsibility to end violence against women and girls." Read More...
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Peace and Reconciliation
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| The Guardian Data Blog: Global peace index 2012: the full list
Ami Sedghi
6/12/12
The world has become more peaceful for the first time since 2009 according to the Global Peace Index 2012, whilst Syria has dropped over 30 places on the rankings. See how the data's changed over time. Read More...
UNICEF: In DR Congo, UNICEF supports efforts to help child labourers return to school
Cornelia Walther
6/13/12
Sweat is running from 16-year-old Bitshilwalwa Bukula's forehead as she tries to smash a rock into smaller pieces. A small plastic canopy offers some protection from the harsh midday sun, but the work is hard. Read More...
Voice of America: Center for Intelligence Sharing Opens in DR Congo
6/13/12
Intelligence chiefs from 11 countries of Africa's Great Lake region opened a new Center for Intelligence Sharing Wednesday in the eastern Congolese city of Goma. Read More...
The Enough Project Blog: New Enough Brief: Improving MONUSCO's Ability to Protect Civilians
Laura Heaton
6/12/12
On June 30, the United Nations will assess its second largest peacekeeping mission in the world. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or MONUSCO, is presently engulfed in one of the most intense periods of insecurity in recent years, as a peace deal that integrated one of the most powerful rebel groups into the army lies in tatters, and violence by the notorious FDLR is on the rise. Read More...
UPI: WFP provides food to thousands displaced
6/8/12
The U.N. World Food Program said it has provided a monthly food ration to 20,000 people newly displaced by violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read More...
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Economic development
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6/13/12
The petroleum minister from the DRC said he was satisfied with what he's seen from a subsidiary of a French energy company working in the country. Read More...
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Health
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| USA Today: Study: Newborns are 40% of preventable child deaths
Aamer Madhani
6/12/12
Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo- five countries that account for nearly half of all preventable deaths of children under 5 - are expected to announce a series of initiatives and new policies at this week's meeting in Washington. Performance needs to improve dramatically among these countries in order to get back on track, Shah said. Read More... The Guardian: 'Race against time' as 50 countries set to miss health-related MDGs 6/14/12 Despite 'spectacular' progress, 66 countries are unlikely to meet millennium development goal (MDG) five on maternal deaths and 52 countries are set to miss MDG four on under-five mortality. Read More... |
Elections
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| European Parliament: MEPs say EU support for elections in DR Congo depends on reforms
6/13/12
Parliament says the EU's financial support for the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) should be tied to reforms, in a resolution passed on Wednesday. It calls on the DRC to strengthen democratic institutions and guarantee security and the rule of law in time for the next elections. Read More... |
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