Africa

In February, George W. Bush announced the creation of a new unified combatant command for Africa. After several years of deliberation, the Pentagon finally agreed to create the African Command (AFRICOM), which will relieve the European Command (EUCOM) and the Central Command (CENTCOM), which earlier shared responsibility for Africa.

The "four-day war" that rocked Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo from March 22-26, 2007 was called a "cleaning" by insiders. The realities behind the scenes remain cloaked by the international media and world institutions, and the big losers, yet again, are the Congolese people. This is the inside story.

I've just read two books by two people who care passionately about Africa and the AIDS pandemic that has swept and is sweeping the continent. The first, by Canadian diplomat and humanitarian Stephen Lewis is entitled Race Against Time: Searching for Hope in AIDS-Ravaged Africa. The second, by Canadian journalist Stephanie Nolen is 28 Stories of Aids in Africa.

Just two months after U.S. aerial bombardments began in Somalia, the Bush administration solidified its militaristic engagement with Africa. In February 2007, the Department of Defense announced the creation of a new U.S. Africa Command infrastructure, code name AFRICOM, to "coordinate all U.S. military and security interests throughout the continent."

Poems by Mary from Kibera, Kenya taped during a visit by the JubileeUSA delegation: January, 2007.