TresSugar

Mass Exodus in the Congo Has Roots In Rwandan Genocide

CitizenSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:00:10 -0700

I know the math on the picture=1,000 words shtick, but these words on the refugee exodus in the Democratic Republic of Congo combined with these pictures is almost a novel I can't even fathom:

Along the red dirt roads looping in and out of the jungle, they trooped in their thousands. The women clutching infants to their chests and balancing rolled-up mattresses, blankets and pots on their heads. Any child old enough to walk carried a jerry can of water or dragged a sack of food.

The people who live in the Democratic Republic of Congo are once again under fire. Many who live in the perpetually war-torn nation have been driven from their homes more times than they can remember and sadly they're finding it's time to escape once more. Packing up any possessions they can manage they're fleeing in advance of the invading Tutsi rebels. The rebels are driving both the government forces, which outnumber them by more than 3 to 1 and the UN peacekeepers that are being met with anger and violence at their inadequate response.

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To see the historic context, read more.

Nearly 30,000 refugees are fleeing into cities and towns bursting their resources. And as the fighting continues so does the human misery. "These people are in a very precarious situation," said Ms van Goor of MSF (Doctors Without Borders). "We're in the middle of the rainy season now and without proper water and sanitation, they're vulnerable to all sorts of diseases."

The conflict is in response to fear of a further genocide by the Hutus who were responsible for the murder of hundreds and thousands of Tutsis in 1994 in neighboring Rwanda. The Tutsi rebels claim that the Congolese government is not doing nearly enough to ensure their safety and are now taking matters into their own hands.

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Girl Power! More Women Than Men Rule in Rwanda

LibertySugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Rwanda is the first country where women outnumber men in parliament. Following horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda adopted a new constitution. Among other things, it guarantees 30 percent female representation in parliament.

Thus, even before the latest election of 44 women to fill 80 seats, Rwanda held the world's record for most women to men in parliament. But now, that rate has risen from 48 percent to 55 percent. In honor of the election, test how much you know about the landlocked African country.

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Front Page: US Cracks Largest ID Theft, Rwanda Accuses French of Genocide, Bush to Urge Human Rights

CitizenSugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:00:26 -0700

US Cracks Largest ID Theft:
US authorities have charged 11 people in what they're calling the largest-ever identity theft case. Hacking into the computer systems of major retailers like TJ Maxx and Barnes & Noble, the group is accused of stealing 40 million credit card numbers before selling them. The DOJ says the scam caused "widespread" losses, and US AG Mukasey says, "this case highlights our increasing vulnerability to the theft of personal information."

Rwanda Accuses French of Genocide:
Rwanda's government issued a report accusing French officials of involvement in the 1994 genocide that left 800,000 dead. The officials are accused of giving political and logistical support to Rwanda's extremist government and Hutu forces. The report says, “French soldiers themselves directly were involved in assassinations of Tutsis and Hutus accused of hiding Tutsis."
Bush to Urge Human Rights:
In Thailand today, President Bush is delivering an address communicating his "deep concerns" about human rights in China, and urging the communist nation to broaden political freedom. Bush says, ''America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists. We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly and labor rights - not to antagonize China's leaders, but because trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential.'' Bush arrives in Beijing for the Olympics later today.

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Headline: Bush in Rwanda and the Human Face of Darfur

CitizenSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:00:56 -0800

President Bush laid a wreath at the memorial of the victims of the Rwandan genocide yesterday. The genocide claimed 800,000 Rwandans, a lot of them children, mostly over the span of 100 days in 1994. Bush's trip to Africa has been a series of somber scenes. While touring the museum to this genocide, the topic of another - the Sudanese genocide in Darfur - came up.

President Bush has received criticism for not sending troops to Darfur. He said yesterday:

I still believe it was the right decision. But, having done that, if you’re a problem solver, you put yourself at the mercy of the decisions of others, in this case the United Nations. And I’m well known to have spoken out by the slowness of the United Nations. It is - seems very bureaucratic to me, particularly with people suffering.

Adding a very human, firsthand account to the Darfur tragedy, a New Zealand nurse, Lisa French Blaker, has just written a book called Heart of Darfur, recounting her two years of service in the region. For more about her powerful experience, read more. It was a period of time that she said "broke her heart." She said:

Part of my disillusionment and my broken heart, when I think of Darfur, is the many that we failed and the many that we lost. There were times that government and Janjaweed troops forced us out of a village, and took us away from the people that we were trying to help, and we lost them.

Though Blaker tells horrifyingly sad tales, there are also stories of hope. Treating a sick, dying, new mother, she tells of her transformation. "Slowly, we turned her into a smiling, singing, dancing lady. It was magical." A perfect metaphor for hope for a region in conflict.

It makes me want to read her book immediately, and with a box of tissues. How about you?

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AIDS Cases Underestimated by 40%, World Conference Begins

CitizenSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:00:05 -0700

The number of new cases of AIDS diagnosed in the US each year is 40 percent higher than the government previously estimated, acknowledging that they've understated the level of the epidemic.

The US actually had about 56,300 new HIV infections in 2006, up from the 40,000 annual estimate publicized for the last dozen years. The new number is because of a better blood test and new statistical methods, not a worsening of the epidemic.

The executive director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors says, "This is the biggest news for public health and HIV/AIDS that we've had in a while." The new estimate and how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arrived at the number were presented yesterday at the opening day of the international AIDS conference in Mexico City. To see how Bill Clinton and the adorable baby fit in, and an amazing breakthrough in a cure for HIV, read more.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton found a new friend while visiting a rural health care clinic this weekend in Rwanda at one of the Clinton Foundation projects. Bill is heading to Mexico City to deliver a keynote address today at the World AIDS Conference.

A 12-year-old activist with HIV (she's had it all her life) opened the conference last night with Ban Ki-moon and the president of Mexico. The young activist, Keren Dunaway, edits a children's magazine about the virus. In Latin America, 55,000 of the nearly 2 million people with the virus are under 15 years old, most infected by their mothers. Her story is pretty amazing and worth a read.

There's good news being released at the conference - researchers in several countries are working on a pill that can prevent HIV, and two Houston doctors may have found a way to destroy HIV, that could be used to "control the disease for those who already have it." It's still five years away, and awaiting human trials, but the research is heading in the right, and exciting, direction.

Thanks to hypnoticmix for sending this on!

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Mr. and Mrs. Bush Watch Abstinence Skit

LibertySugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:03:08 -0800

Above, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush watch a skit about abstinence at a school in Kigali, Rwanda.

We're desperately searching for the lost script right now, but how do you think the story went?

PS - more awesome pictures from Bush's African voyage coming soon.

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