In the past three months, floods have ravaged many African nations including Ghana and Togo in the west, as well as Sudan, Uganda, Somalia, and Kenya in the central and eastern regions. At least 200 people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in these countries. Half a million people across the West African region have been hit by the heavy rains in the past 3 months. Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed and swathes of crops on which the region depends have been washed away.

Each year, the AFJN Staff and Board take some time to consider the major issues arising in the continent of Africa and subsequently choose new focus campaigns. For the past couple of years, AFJN has been devoted almost entirely to raising awareness of the war in northern Uganda. The organization has also tracked the havoc that HIV/AIDS is wreaking on African communities; the challenges posed by Genetically Modified (GM) seeds; the unjust nature of US farm subsidies; and the crises that have been unfolding in places like Zimbabwe, Darfur, Cote d'Ivoire, and the Horn of Africa. Depending on the passions of the current Executive Director and the capabilities of the staff, AFJN must continually reevaluate and shift its foci in order to be the best possible advocate for the peoples of Africa. The staff must also consider where AFJN can take the lead and have a larger influence among the sea of advocates in Washington.

For the remainder of 2007 and through 2008, AFJN will devote its time, energy, and resources to four very important areas of concern: the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), restorative justice, the 2009 African Synod, and the crisis in DR Congo through Congo Global Action Coalition.

Africa and Global Climate Change
This year, heavy rain and flooding have been reported in 17 nations in Africa. Ghana and Uganda were the worst cases, though the detriment to countries like Chad who are already suffering from food shortages is important to note. Unfortunately, no African nation is well-prepared to cope with natural disasters.