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The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
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| 28.03.2004 |
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| LWF General Secretary Commends Religious Groups’ Initiatives in Resolving Conflict in Africa |
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Much Has Been Accomplished, But a Lot Remains to Be Done
NAIROBI, Kenya/GENEVA, 28 March 2004 (LWI) – Nearly 18 months after Africa’s religious leaders launched an inter-faith initiative for peace on the continent, much has been accomplished but a lot still remains to be done in peace building, said the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko.
Conflict continues to hinder efforts for human and economic development in the East, Central and Horn of Africa region, Noko told participants in the second sub-regional conference of the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa. The initiative was launched in October 2002 to find strategies for inter-religious cooperation in curbing the trend of violence on the continent.
Despite relative stability in some countries, the lack of peace in other nations remains a major concern, Noko noted. He cited the escalation of violence in northern Uganda, with the recent massacre of nearly 200 innocent civilians in a war that has been going on for 18 years now. He commended the tireless efforts of religious leaders there working for peace through the Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative (ARLPI).
But the general secretary noted that the perpetrators of the recent atrocity call themselves the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), giving the impression that they were acting in the name of God. “This is clearly not the God that any of us in this room believe in. Our faiths are centered on the God of peace, harmony, love, and of compassion.” He called on religious communities represented at the sub-regional conference to join in condemning the LRA’s acts of violence, and also stand together against the misuse of religion for political or other purposes. Retired Anglican Bishop Macleord Baker Ochola II is representing the ARLPI at the summit.
A decade after the appalling genocide in Rwanda, the Great Lakes region continues to be a region of great concern, Noko observed. He described the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a complex one, requiring a comprehensive approach as it implicates several other countries both within and outside Africa. He saw the DRC situation as a reminder of the need to link inter-religious peace initiatives in Africa with those outside the continent if such conflict is to be addressed effectively. He noted that a planned inter-faith delegation visit to the DRC in November/December 2003 could not take place due to logistical difficulties. He urged the sub-regional summit participants to re-affirm commitment to such an initiative and to finalize plans for this as yet unfulfilled vision of the Johannesburg Plan of Action.
The situation in Sudan is also of great concern, Noko noted. The war that has been raging in that country for more than three decades has claimed the lives of more than one million people. Its consequences include extreme violation of human rights, starvation, internal displacement and the refugee crisis. He described the current peace process as a sign of hope that “religious leaders in this region ought to support fully and actively, to ensure that it is successful and sustainable and that it results in a just peace.” Africa, Noko said, cannot allow a return to the dark days that Sudan has seen before. The peoples of Sudan deserve to live in peace and harmony.
Noko cited the dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea as major concern in the region. Tensions between the two neighboring countries increased since Ethiopia rejected the decision of the international and independent Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) to return to Eritrea the village of Badme where the 1998-2000 border war began. The current impasse in the resolution of the dispute and delay in the implementation of the EEBC 's findings threaten the peace brought about by the Algiers Agreement, signed by both countries in 2000.
The general secretary underlined the international community’s responsibility in ensuring that all parties respect such binding agreements. He spoke of his February 2004 letter to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on behalf of the inter-faith peace initiative, in which he highlighted the impact of the specter of war on families and children, and on the country’s development. Noko also commended religious leaders from both countries for their contribution to mutual understanding and peace and their courage in establishing and maintaining contacts with each other in spite of the “very difficult relationship between the political leadership of both countries,” He however regretted that the inter-faith delegation from Eritrea was not able to attend the sub-regional summit due to reasons associated with the current difficulties.
Noko also spoke of other signs of hope in the continent. Africa. He cited the establishment of the African Union, inauguration of the new African Parliament and of an African Court for Human Rights, and the broad commitment to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). Religious leaders, he concluded, have a major contribution to make in such processes. (814 words)
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