News About Congo

Yellow fever vaccine push amid shortages, resurgence

One of the requirements to enter the Congo, beyond having a visa, and blind courage or a sense of adventure, is proof of a Yellow Fever vaccination.  I always thought it was a joke since western countries do not ask for it or require.  But I guess it's not a problem in Congo for that reason.  Congo is not among the 13 most at-risk countries in Africa

Yellow fever vaccine push amid shortages, resurgence.

DAKAR, 23 November 2009 (IRIN) - The world’s first multi-country yellow fever vaccination campaign began on 23 November, with 12 million people targeted across Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The push comes as the killer mosquito-borne disease is resurging in some sub-Saharan African countries and vaccine stocks are running low.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says 160 million Africans are at risk if further funding is not secured, as the current vaccine stockpile is expected to run out in 2010.

The three countries are the latest of the 13 most at-risk– Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo – to carry out preventive campaigns. Global health partnership GAVI Alliance has committed funding for campaigns in the 13 countries.

Heineken to Bring Lessons Learned in Congo to the US

Is Heineken saying, if you can sell plenty beer in Congo, you can sell plenty beer in the US?  There is some truth to it.  Congo is a extremely poor country with an extremely harsh environment.  But it is hot! 

While flying in Congo between cities, I was surprised to see this Heineken-looking beer.  The flying elite is a great target population.

Heineken USA Names Dolf van der Brink President-CEO - Advertising Age - News.

Heineken USA has named Dolf van den Brink president-CEO, plucking an executive whose last post was as commercial director and deputy general manager of Heineken International's subsidiary in the Democratic Republic of Congo to reverse domestic sales declines of the once-hot import beer brand.

While there are obviously major differences in selling an image brand such as Heineken to consumers in the U.S. vs. those in the Congo, Africa has been an increasingly important growth engine within Heineken and success there has become key to the company's fortunes.

Farewell and Welcome to Dikembe Mutombo

Mutombo of the NBA's Houston Rockets is retiring from his basketball career.  I would like to welcome him to life after retirement.  I know Congo will be on his mind.

NBA's Mutombo calls it quits after knee injury

Dikembe Mutombo, an 18-year veteran of the National Basketball Association from the Democratic Republic of Congo, says his career is over following a left knee injury suffered Tuesday.

"Nobody ever thought they'd be carrying the big guy out like a wounded soldier," Mutombo said.

Mutombo, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time NBA All-Star, ranks second in NBA's all-time blocks with 3,289.

Mutombo, known for his humanitarian outreach programs in Africa, has averaged 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in a career that has seen him play for Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and the Rockets.

Why your Cell Phone is Part of the Problem

The crisis in Congo is being fueled by a multi-million dollar trade in minerals that go into our electronic products from cell phones to digital cameras. Visit www.raisehopeforcongo.org to be a part of the solution.  View this Video.

Kenya and Congo Sign Trade Agreement

Trade is a good thing.  Trade with Congo is better. 

Kenya set to sign trade agreement with DRC

Kenya will sign a bilateral trade agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo next month, signalling the country’s intention to deepen trade relations with African countries.

The new deal is expected to shore up Kenya’s exports to the country, marking  Kenya’s  first major trade salvo into a Francophone African country.

The agreement will largely focus on non-tariff barrier issues because the two countries are members of the Comesa trading bloc and cannot therefore have a free trade area agreement.

Tackling non-tariff barriers will mean Kenyan products will be cleared faster at the ports and entry visas may be abolished, among other benefits. Comesa is structured as a free trade area and therefore takes care of all tariff issues like import duties among its 19 members.

The Economic Plague Stalks Congo and Africa

Congo seems to getting better.  It probably has just least leveled off and ready to start the long climb up.  But, will the economic crisis be another plague for the Congo and sub-saharan Africa?

US in Africa, Fanning the Flames or Putting out the Fire?

On the great continent of Africa, conflicts are raging in many nations while humanitarian crises like food security, poverty and disease accelerate. The U.S. professes a firm commitment to democracy in Africa but tends to look the other way on human rights issues depending on military, economic and political alliances. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will need to address complex issues in Africa including the conflicts in Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe.

The free market approach to Africa has not been successful and is made worse by the global economic crisis and rise in food costs. 87% of sub-Saharan Africans are making less than $2/day. Debt relief and reforming U.S. trade with Africa to be “fair” instead of “free” could go a long way to help stabilize African nations. U.S. aid is sorely needed to help relieve hunger and end violence in Africa, but the U.S. must consider the human rights abuses of the governments receiving U.S. assistance and allegiance to be credible in Africans’ eyes.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): The Second Congo War, also called Africa’s World War, has killed 2.7 million people since 2004, although it officially ended in June of 2003. The conflict is the world’s deadliest since World War II with an estimated 5.4 million people killed as of the end of 2008. The status of women is the DRC is volatile at best, with rape used as a weapon of war and many women enslaved by soldiers.

Should Nkunda Be Extradited to Congo

Yes, Nkunda should stand trial.  But I am not sure he should be extradited to Congo.  I would like to see him sent to The Hague.

DR Congo renews demand for extradition of Nkunda

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has renewed its demand for the extradition of Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunda, who was arrested last week in Rwanda following a joint military operation of the two neighboring countries.

Congolese Foreign Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba said on Wednesday that Kinshasa is seeking the extradition through a tripartite accord which also involves Uganda, as DR Congo and Rwanda have no formal cooperation agreement on that issue.

Kinshasa and Rwanda have yet to normalize bilateral ties which were severed after relations became chilled in the 1990s. Both countries expressed readiness for reopening their embassies after talks in December.

DR Congo wanted to extradite Nkunda immediately after Rwanda said the leader of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) was arrested in its territory on Dec. 22. Kigali hopes that the renegade Tutsi general will be treated politically rather than in the hands of jurists.

Mwamba said Kinshasa does not agree with the idea and that the ex-general is a fugitive under an arrest warrant issued by DR Congo on charges of crimes committed in North Kivu province.

Your Life May Depend on It

Take a deep breath!  Your climate and body's supply of oxygen and water are dependent upon the Congo's tropical rainforest.  Your life is dependent upon Congo. That's in addition to coltan and other minerals needed for our economic survival.

With some many other things happening in the Congo, the loggers have put your life in to danger.  The deforestation of Congo's rainforest will change your life.

The tropical rainforest are about 100 miles north of the Bulape. 

 

Congo set to halt most logging after contract review

Logging must stop on nearly 13 million hectares of forest in Democratic Republic of Congo after a government review cancelled nearly 60 percent of the vast country's timber contracts, the government said on Monday.

Congo, home to the second largest tropical forest in the world after the Amazon, has completed a long-delayed review of 156 logging deals aimed at stamping out corruption in the sector and enforcing minimum legal and environmental standards.

 

Logging, mining, and land clearance for farming are eating away at the Congo Basin, which accounts for more than a quarter of the world's tropical forest, at a rate of over 800,000 hectares a year -- an area roughly the size of Massachusetts.

 

The Longtime Cancer of African Civil Wars

Conflicts in and between Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda affect the whole Great Lakes Region.

allAfrica.com: Rwanda: Africans Better Positioned to End Wars (Page 1 of 1).

Africa's Great Lakes region has also in the recent years experienced political strife, armed conflict and population displacements with severe humanitarian consequences. The Great Lakes Region, which comprises of Burundi, Uganda the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Tanzania, have had long time cancer of civil wars.

Of course, the latter country has been a victim due to its proximity to the war ravaged areas. The regional conflict in the Great Lakes continues to affect the lives of millions of people.

The peace process in the DRC is ongoing but has largely stalled without the cooperation from the protagonists and as a result, conflict is not ending. There is however, likelihood that the fresh talks between the DRC and Rwanda may end the long-term conflict. Otherwise, there is little chance that the humanitarian situation in conflict-affected areas will improve.