Ten years after the infamous execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other protesters in Nigeria, the same frustrations that led to their activism against an abusive military government are fueling a rebel movement against the nation’s new democratic government. The oil industry has brought great damage to the Delta region with oil spills that lead to never-ending gas flares, endangering both the environment and the health of the local people. These damaging effects are not countered by any payoffs from the booming oil industry and seventy percent of the surrounding communities live on less than one U.S. dollar a day. The rebel group known as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is gaining power and support as the Delta groups have yet to benefit from Nigeria’s annual $45 billion in oil export revenues and see that the government doing little to support their well-being.

The Catholic Church may be reconsidering its ban on condom use in all circumstances, recognizing the moral predicament faced by HIV-positive spouses, especially in Africa. At the end of April, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, a senior Vatican official, announced that Pope Benedict XVI had requested a report on the possibility of condom use being acceptable for Catholics in the context of a marriage with one HIV-positive partner. Church teachings currently call for all Catholics to avoid use of contraceptives. Altering Church teachings on this topic would cause extensive ripple effects for Africa's millions of Catholics and for Catholic aid agencies in Africa.