Raped women and their children in eastern Congo
While the world looks to Ukraine and the Middle East, to Donald Trump, Elon Musk and, most recently, to Germany, the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is once again sinking into a nightmare. The M23 “rebels” are marauding again. They murder, loot and rape – and have been doing so for three decades. More here.
Guest post by Volker Seitz on the controversy surrounding USAID
President Donald Trump has ordered a 90-day pause in development aid – with the exception of humanitarian aid – until its efficiency and consistency with US foreign policy have been assessed. Germany should take this as an example, says the guest author. More here.
Elon Musk’s tweets catapult mass rape into the spotlight.
British-Pakistani rape gangs have been wreaking havoc in Great Britain for decades. Politicians and authorities are said to have covered up their crimes against minors, partly for fear of being seen as racist. More here.
Canadian wild geese, childhood memories and a song
My favorite subject here on the north shore of Flathead Lake are the Canadian wild geese that gather here and in the surrounding fields. I love their calls. They inevitably bring back fond memories. More here.
Guest post by Volker Seitz on a supposedly taboo subject
Climate change and armed conflicts are generally believed to be the main factors behind the hunger problem in Africa. In contrast, the author argues that the main cause of the problem is population growth. More here.
Guest post by Volker Seitz, former ambassador to Africa
Christmas time is the time for donations for the needy of this world. People also like to solicit charitable gifts for the poor in Africa. However, many projects are not suitable for eradicating poverty, says the commentator. But some are. So who can you donate to? More here.
Guest post by the Native American & Human Rights Action Group
December 10: International Human Rights Day. In Oslo, the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo receives the Nobel Peace Prize. The survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki cooperate with indigenous victims of atomic bomb tests. More here.
Twenty years ago, Ghofrane Haddaoui was cruelly murdered in Marseille.
Stoning to death: an archaic punishment only in Iran and Afghanistan? It is the year 2004: a 23-year-old woman is beaten and pelted with stones in the middle of Europe, in France, so that she dies in agony. How could this happen? More here.
A book review about a taboo subject. Guest post by Volker Seitz
The film “The Abused Servants of God” (2019) and Pope Francis’ admission that the abuse of nuns exists have sensitized societies in Europe. In Africa there was silence. In her pioneering work, nun Mary Lembo describes the exploitation of young nuns by Catholic priests. More here.
The Second World War began 85 years ago. And the “sitting war” in Alsace.
The war began on September 1, 1939 – in the East. Strasbourg was evacuated on the same day. 400,000 people had to leave Alsace and Lorraine. Ghost towns, cats and dogs were left behind. More here.
