Tag: Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Story: Recent work by geneticists, involving the DNA of more than 50,000 volunteers on three continents, suggests some inferences about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade...

The new president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, signed a decree Wednesday pardoning about 700 political prisoners and fulfilling a promise he made in his inaugural address in January. The conciliatory gesture frees political opponents imprisoned by Tshisekedi's predecessor, Joseph Kabila, who had governed the central African nation for 18 years. Tshisekedi was elected president of the DR Congo in a disputed election last December which some foreign observers, including the Catholic Church, said favored opposition leader Martin Fayulu. Tshisekedi's inauguration marked the first peaceful transfer of power in that country since 1960. In a ceremony in Kinshasa late last week, Tshisekedi also promised to allow political exiles to return home. "I will actively work to create the conditions for the early return of compatriots who are currently outside the country for political reasons to carry out their activities in accordance with the law and republican institutions," said Tshisekedi as quoted by Africanews. Among the pardoned are Firmin Yangambi, who has already served 19 years of a 20-year sentence on the charge that he was a threat to national security, and opposition leader Franck Diongo who was sentenced to five years in prison, according to the Associated Press.

The president of Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila,on Sunday said he plans to stay in politics when he steps down after elections on December 23. Kabila in an interview with Reuters also said he does not rule out running again for president in 2023. My role will be to make sure that we don't go back to square one. “My role will be to make sure that we don’t go back to square one. My role will be to do that by advising, by giving all the necessary information, advice to be taken or not taken so that we don’t go back to the years that should be history in this country,” he said. The long-delayed elections will mark Congo’s first democratic transfer of power and an end to Kabila’s rule that began in 2001 after the assassination of his father. He added that their intent is on making it certain that the elections are as close to perfection as they can possibly be. But the question is what’s the bigger picture? “Regrets I always never want to talk about regrets . The delay in elections has coincided with a breakdown in security across much of the mineral-rich country.

Lexxus Legal has been in the music business for 20 years. "I have always been politically minded even though I never joined a political party." Politics, Music Often Intertwined in DRC At the office of the ruling People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy, people move to the sounds of Congolese dance music. "Clap for Shadary! We are politicians," Ekopo told VOA. Some avoid politics Many other music artists stay away from heavy issues in their work. They do not talk about politics in their music. However, musicians like Lexxus Legal are ready for whatever changes their political goals bring. Phil Dierking adapted the story for Learning English. clap - v. to hit the palms of your hands together usually more than once? entertainer - n. a person (such as a singer, an actor, or a comedian) who entertains other people? logical - adj.

The Story: The Trump administration has filed with a court the settlement agreement it has reached with attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union over...

The United States announced Tuesday it was leaving the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, with Ambassador Nikki Haley calling it “an organization that is not worthy of its name.” It was the latest withdrawal by the Trump administration from an international institution. Haley, Trump’s envoy to the U.N., said the U.S. had given the human rights body “opportunity after opportunity” to make changes. She lambasted the council for “its chronic bias against Israel” and lamented the fact that its membership includes accused human rights abusers such as China, Cuba, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo. She had been threatening the pull-out since last year unless the council made changes advocated by the U.S. “Regrettably, it is now clear that our call for reform was not heeded,” Haley said. Opposition to the decision from human rights advocates was swift. The move could reinforce the perception that the Trump administration is seeking to advance Israel’s agenda on the world stage, just as it prepares to unveil its long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan despite Palestinian outrage over the embassy relocation. Israel is the only country in the world whose rights record comes up for discussion at every council session, under “Item 7” on the agenda. The United States’ current term on the council ends next year. A full pullout by the U.S. would leave the council without one of its traditional defenders of human rights. At the rights council, the United States has recently been the most unabashed critic of rights abuses in China — whose growing economic and diplomatic clout has chastened some other would-be critics, rights advocates say.