An elite South African police unit foiled a coup attempt this week against the Congolese government by infiltrating the rebel group and pretending to help them acquire weapons. The rebels sought the overthrow of the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who have seen their share of unrest fighting the M23 insurgents. The 19 [...]
Ben Affleck Goes to Washington: Could He Be John Kerry’s Replacement?
December 19, 2012 | Posted by
Boston’s own Ben Affleck has been tossed into the mill of names that may contend for a vacant Massachusetts senator seat, should U.S. Sen. John Kerry, R-Mass., accept an invitation to join President Barack Obama’s Cabinet as secretary of state. Affleck attended a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, testifying on the violence in the [...]
M23 Rebels Retreat, Bringing Hope to the Congo
December 3, 2012 | Posted by
For the first time in weeks, a sense of hope has returned to the residents of eastern Congo, as the M23 rebels have withdrawn from the city of Goma and several hundred government troops have come to take their place. Though the nation knows that the rebels, who are squatting about a mile from Goma, [...]
Turmoil Brews in Congo, Mali, Somalia, As the World Looks the Other Way
November 28, 2012 | Posted by
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets today with African Union chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, they are slated to discuss a list of issues that neatly illustrate the traumas confronting modern Africa—and demonstrate why much of the rest of the world is plagued by a severe case of calamity fatigue that keeps the media and the [...]
U.S. Sends Diplomat to the Congo to Help Stem the Despair
November 26, 2012 | Posted by
As the Congo once again falls into despair and dysfunction following a threatened takeover by the M23 rebel force, the U.S. has dispatched its top diplomat for Africa, Johnnie Carson, to try to help resolve the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the important city of Goma, which M23 rebels seized last week, [...]
Congolese Band Staff Benda Bilili Rocks Even When Most of Its Members Can’t Walk
October 27, 2012 | Posted by
Only a few dozen people turned up for Wednesday night’s concert by Staff Benda Bilili, the eight-man ensemble from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lucky them. Here’s what they heard: Six superbly varied but complementary voices raised in exuberant harmonies with lyrics in native African Lingala and traces of French. They were supported by bass, [...]
Muhammad Ali Receives Liberty Medal for Humanitarian Work
September 14, 2012 | Posted by
This is why no other fighter – or athlete, for that matter – can be compared to Muhammad Ali: His impact outside the athletic arena has been more profound than his dynamic career inside the boxing ring. That fact was reiterated Thursday when Ali, 70, received the Liberty Medal for his virtually life-long commitment to [...]
The Congo Hopes To Avert Another Potentially Brutal Civil War
September 10, 2012 | Posted by
The weary citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo are once again facing the specter of another brutal civil war that could leave millions of their countrymen dead and even more homeless. An emerging rebel group called the March 23 Movement, or M23 for short, has wrested control of the eastern part of one of the [...]
Elephants Slaughtered in the Congo for Their Ivory Tusks
April 26, 2012 | Posted by
In the northeastern savannahs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 22 elephants were found slain, having been stripped of their tusks and genitals. The animals were part of a herd that had fallen prey to gunfire from a helicopter and they were unable to escape the airborn hunters. Ivory poachers continue to make their [...]
