The November 2011 edition of AEFJN's Forum for Action is now online. It contains articles on the ethical responsibility of the Church on the climate issue, on the clean up of the Ogoniland oil spills, which will take decades, on the spread of Libyan arms in the Sahel, on the production of medicines in Africa and on the EU's attempt to force African countries to sign EPAs.
The national election campaign officially started the 28th October in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), exactly one month ahead of historic presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for November 28 2011. 41 humanitarian and human rights organizations, among them AEFJN, have expressed concern about the high political tension and deteriorating security situation. They have called upon all Congolese and international actors involved to take urgent measures to prevent electoral violence, better protect civilians and ensure credible, free and fair elections.Reports: Biofuels in the EU increased land grabbing
The World Bank has just published a report that says biofuels policies in the EU and the U.S. have caused land rush in Africa and other developing regions of the world, displacing the areas used for diet. The World Bank estimated that biofuels are responsible for one fifth of newly acquired land.
See: World Bank Report "Rising Global Interest in Farmland - Can it yield sustainable and equitable benefits?"
A document from the Friends of the Earth says that about 5 million hectares of land throughout 11 countries in Africa, a region as large as Denmark, are being acquired for the development of biofuels. See: "Africa: land (s) of all covetousness - Magnitude and consequences of hoarding land to produce biofuels. See: http://www.foeeurope.org/agrofuels/FoEE_Africa_up_for_grabs_2010.pdf