“Africa has a voice, but it isn’t being heard. Help it to be heard, continuing to speak out to cast light on the unseen.” The Holy Father himself made this request of us, and we will indeed continue to honor our commitment to work hand in hand with Africans to overcome this latest of countless war-driven economic and social crises.

As winter sets in, the war in Ukraine is making the plight of millions increasingly dire, while in the powder keg that is present-day Iran, repression is steadily undermining people’s freedom and security. Against this backdrop, affirms the 2022 Censis Report, Italians feel resigned and averse to take action. But why not put our moral responsibility to challenge globalization and injustice back at the center?

Africa finds itself increasingly at the center of new global geopolitical balances, with the return of a pattern of rival blocs of countries: a sort of new Cold War involving a complex web of economic, military and diplomatic interests. In this rapidly evolving scenario, the risk of conflict over Africa between these powerful actors, fostered in part by the instability and fragility of many of its countries, is not insignificant.

Wars driven largely by economic, energy and military interests are plaguing Africa and expanding at an alarming rate, yet the wider world and the media ignore them. As always, those hit hardest are the most fragile: civilians, mothers, children, the sick and disabled. CUAMM stays on even in the most volatile settings to ensure that these individuals can receive the health care and treatment they need.

A snapshot of present-day Ethiopia reveals a grim situation: a country hosting numerous refugee camps and ravaged by multiple emergencies – drought, internal conflicts, a dire health and food crisis – is on the brink of an unmitigated humanitarian crisis. Reconstruction at every level will require drastic support interventions, including international ones.

A country endowed with abundant natural resources, yet paralyzed by a multifaceted (from the economy to health to security) and seemingly unresolvable crisis, the Central African Republic has yet to find a path to genuine self-determination, peace and lasting development.

Over 900,000 displaced people, a third of them children; an increasingly complex humanitarian crisis; extreme weather events; and an extremely fragile health situation. In Cabo Delgado province, the entire population is affected by conflict on a daily basis, making even basic health care very difficult to provide, impacting people’s mental health and exacerbating gender-based violence.