Group items tagged

This article basically highlighted that South Africa will be donating about 24 million dollars for Ebola-affected countries. South Africa has already committed 3 million dollars to the fund, and wishes to finish the donation as soon as possible.

This article describes how a German-American journalist was released from the Somali Pirates after negotiators agreed upon $1.6 million ransom. This explains the serious terrorist actions happening in Somalia right now.

This article relates how Belgium took millions of dollars of Zimbabwean diamonds. Ever since the UN lifted the sanction on diamonds in 2013, these gems have been a large contribution to the debt-stricken economy. This relates because the database article discusses how sanctions on exports can negatively affect the economy, and how land reform is causing disputes on whose property is whose.

Belgian authorities took Zimbabwean diamonds that were at an auction waiting to be purchased. A court order gave compensation to a South African mining company that had lost that concession. On September 12, around 500,000 ounces of diamond worth $45 million belonging to Zimbabwean shareholders was seized. The World Diamond Center wants to sell 12 million carats of diamonds from Zimbabwe this year. Zimbabwe has the second largest metal deposits behind South Africa.

Belgian authorities seized about 500,000 ounces worth roughly $45 million and belonging to companies with Zimbabwean state shareholdings were seized on Sept. 12. A court ruling stated that a South African Mining company would given compensation for the concession they had lost.

Famine is nearing Somalia. After a year of little rain and heavy fighting, millions of people are at risk. There have also been many people trying to escape the country due to the al-Shabab militants. They have prevented food from traveling roads. Another famine would also jeopardize the fragile process of rebuilding Somalia. This relates to the article about the terror of al-Shabab militants and how they are controlling the residents in Somalia.

Somalia is very close to reaching a famine that would deplete the population of Somalia by nearly one million. Many people in Somalia have already been considered on the brink of famine, and are very hungry. Currently people are asking for $1 billion to help the people of Somalia, but it is more likely that they will get around $313 million.

This article talks about the food shortages in Somalia. This connects to the issue that if America has strict restrictions on areas that the Shabab are in, then the innocent civilians cannot receive the aid they need.

This article described Zimbabwe's financial situation which is that they owe the International Monetary Fund (IMF) $142 million and they can not loan Zimbabwe anymore money until the current debt is paid of. This really opened my eyes to how serious the debt of African nations is.

This news article is another on Zimbabwe's massive debt, but this time the debt lies with China. They recently paid China $180 million of a loan taken years ago to keep China on their side. This article seems a little odd to me since they also owe the IMF around the same amount, but China was paid first. Its now obvious of Zimbabwe's financial problems.

According to the World Food Program (WTP), at least 25 percent of Zimbabwe's rural population will need food hand-outs or they will starve. The 25 percent will translate to 2 million people facing starvation.The country will not be able to meet its Millennium Development Goal to eradicate hunger. This relates back to article because it discusses one of the problems that Zimbabwe faces.

Zimbabwe, which used to be a net exporter of food, has been depending on food hand-outs from aid agencies after President Robert Mugabe commenced on a disorganized land reform program in 2000. In order to eradicate hunger, it has to be the center of attention in the political agenda.

As South Africa approaches their 20 year anniversary of democracy, they also come close to election day where both candidates seem to have a fatal flaw. Jacob Zuma was found to have used twenty million dollars of government money to upgrade his house while the other candidate, Oscar Pistorius, is under trial for the murder of his girlfriend. Neither of these candidates are well liked or popular in South Africa. This applies to apartheid since it talks about the twenty year anniversary since it is also the anniversary of the end of apartheid.

Russians have started a new 3 billion dollar platinum mine in Zimbabwe. This just happened right after 45 million dollars worth of diamonds were seized by a South African company and sent to Paris. This relates to the article discussing the many mining opportunities in Zimbabwe.

This article tells of celebrity Jude Law's experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The article describes displaced families, lack of resources, lack of funds, and hostile environments. All of the things that Law witnessed are due to the war that is currently taking place in the DRC, which relates to our studies because we studied how the war has effected the DRC by listening to an NPR recording that detailed conditions much the same to Law's descriptions.

Up to 5 million people have died in DRC during two decades of violence which followed the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Now people are fleeing from the DRC to get to safety. A large part of this is because the government is very corrupt. This is like the first article from Part F because the DRC was usually a violent place.

Somalia is cancelling or renegotiating a series of high-profile contracts ranging from oil exploration to port operations. There are nine multi-million dollar contracts that are being cancelled or rewritten because of irregularities found in the contracts.

This article describes how civic groups are trying to ban the export of black granite from Zimbabwe. They believe that the local communities do not benefit from the exploitation of the mineral.Black granite rakes in millions of dollars in export earnings mainly from South Africa, Australia, Belgium and other major markets. Activists have, however, condemned the exploitation of the mineral that has left communities in the mining areas wallowing in poverty with environmental decay takes its toll.

This article discusses bringing peace to DRC. There has been a genocide in the DRC that has been going on for 129 years with over 6 million deaths. This relates to the articles because it talks about the physical rape of women and children and how the children are forced to kill, work in the mines, and become addicted to drugs, thus ruining their childhood.

This article talks about the problem of rape in in Congo--Kinshasa. The article goes on to say that the DRC is being "raped of resouces", and that the currents events are a "rape of a nation" which of course would be the DRC.

This article talks about both the literal and figurative rape occurring within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Women have been raped, leaving mental scars, and the country suffers from exploitation of its resources and corruption (the figurative rape). Empowerment of women and stronger government institutions are needed to resolve these problems. This relates to many issues in the activity: rape of women, exploitation of resources, and corrupt government, all within the DRC.