After speaking of "the commitment of the developed countries to allocate 0.7% of their Gross Domestic Product to international aids", the Pope reviewed the many conditions of distress in the African continent. So he spoke of Darfour ("for four years now the international community has seemed to be powerless despite the initiatives designed to alleviate the distressed populations and to give a political solution"), the Horn of Africa ("aggravated by the resumption of hostilities and the internationalisation of the conflict"), Uganda (he mentioned "the recruitment of many children forced to become soldiers"), the Great Lakes (where "new hopes are looming" after the "years of pitiless war"). He also mentioned the Ivory Coast and southern Africa, where "millions of people are reduced to a state of great vulnerability". In the part of the speech about the African continent, he also said that "positive signs for Africa are also coming from the will expressed by the international community to keep this continent at the centre of its attention" (to be continued)
