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News & Analysis | April 2025

West Africa. Winds of resource nationalism blow across the Sahel.

Following the expulsion of French troops from Mali, Burkina-Faso and Niger, the leaders of these countries are extending their pro-sovereignty policies to the economic sphere. Together with Senegal, they have embarked on a new policy of resource nationalism. One of the key figures behind…

Dossier

Nicaragua. One big prison.

Seven years have passed since the protests against the regime. Assassinations, desaparecidos, incarcerations and deportations have marked the life of this country during those years. The Ortega-Murillo dictatorship continues its repressive action undaunted. At the entrance to the habitation of Niquinohomo, a small village not far from Masaya, stands the statue of General Augusto César Sandino, a…

Towards a “family dictatorship”.

Change of the constitution. The introduction of a co-presidency. Total control over legislative and judicial power. Establishing a voluntary police force as an auxiliary and support to the National Police. Towards a “family dictatorship”. On January 30, 2025, the National Assembly of Nicaragua approved a constitutional reform that significantly strengthened the power of President Daniel Ortega and…

An Unequal Economy.

Modest growth. A dramatic increase in remittances. Over a million people undernourished. Chinese domination. Political indoctrination in schools. The Oriental Market in the capital Managua is the largest market in Central America. A large labyrinth where you can find everything. In one of the shops I met Dona Elvira Arua Pimeda, she has been working there for…

The Catholic Church. The repression goes on.

A ferocious campaign against the Catholic Church. Priests imprisoned and tortured. Bishops, priests and religious expelled. Nationality revoked. Christian communities deprived of their popular devotions. On Sunday afternoon, our meeting place is the Plaza Inter shopping centre, in the food court near the Hugo Chávez roundabout, in the centre of Managua. I see him arrive, he looks…

Churches

Witnesses of Jubilee. Fr. Stan Swamy. “Pay…

The life of Fr. Stan is a testimony to the defence of…

The Council of Nicaea. The Creed of Hope.

This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (325…

South Sudan. Bishop Carlassare. “We can be pilgrims…

Bishop Christian Carlassare of Bentiu in South Sudan shares four ways to…

Carlo Acutis. “God’s influencer”.

The life of Carlo Acutis, short and intense, has been an inspiration…

Culture

Herbs & Plants. Flueggea virosa. A wide range of healing virtues.

The plant is a cornerstone in traditional medicine across tropical Africa,…

Kenya. The Pokot traditional religious sensibility.

Rather than talking about the religion of the Pokot, an ethnic…

African Culture. The Elders; they are a blessing.

Respect for elders is a core value in the African culture.…

Colombia. The Wayúu. The spider taught them how to weave.

In the northern tip of Colombia and Venezuela, an indigenous ethnic…

Opinion & Comment

China in Syria. A New Opportunity.

The fall of the Assad regime pushes China to a political pragmatism that must take into…

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Trump and the Tariffs War.

Donald Trump's protectionism, exercised with tariffs, is a piece of an ideology that sees America defending…

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Advocacy

Maria Ressa. Information that gives hope.

“We want to create a federation of international journalistic organisations that collaborate in this effort, starting from the global South,” says Filipino journalist and 2022…

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Baobab

The Leopard, the Dog and the Tortoise.

Once upon a time, there was a leopard. He had a huge walnut tree that was full of nuts. Stingy as he was, however, he forbade…

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Youth & Mission

Mission. In the school of life and humanity.

Three young Comboni missionaries from three continents share their vocation stories and missionary experiences. Fr Victor Cunanan Parungao from the Philippines reflects on 15 years of…

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