Faith leaders vow to work together
Source: Norwegian Church Aid - Norway
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Muslim and Christian leaders from eastern Africa, who attended the just concluded religious leaders' conference on the peace building in the Horn of Africa have promised to work
together for peace
By Isaiah Kipyegon in Dar es Salaam
In a joint communiqué that was released in Dar es Salaam Tanzania, the religious leaders said that they recognised that the endemic conflicts and persistent insecurity in the region were caused or aggravated by, economic stagnation and poverty, mistrust and suspicion between governments and political players, massive violation of human rights and other policies of exclusion and marginalization.
They also identified the use of violence for acquiring and conserving power, illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons, illicit trade in drugs, proliferation of armed groups and, organized crimes as reasons for the volatility of the situation in the Horn of Africa.
"We the Muslim and Christian Leaders do hereby make this statement and recommendations to ourselves and all stakeholders for consideration and action to sustain and intensify our prayers for the people of Somalia and the grave conditions they find themselves in, to ensure that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) continues with the on going dialogue on power sharing, leading to a broad based inclusive transitional government including leaders from the Union of the Islamic Courts (UIC), and to facilitate a phased and voluntary process of disarmament and demobilization rather than a forced one," said the statement.
The two day conference which brought together seventy Muslim and Christian leaders from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, and Sudan has been described as a historical.
"This was not only a historical meeting but also a beginning of a journey towards peace for the Horn of Africa by the two faiths. There was a show of unity of purpose in spite of the theological difference between the Muslims and the Christian leaders," said Fred Nyabera, from Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA).
Read the Christian and Muslim leaders' statement here
For more information, contact:
By Isaiah Kipyegon in Dar es Salaam
In a joint communiqué that was released in Dar es Salaam Tanzania, the religious leaders said that they recognised that the endemic conflicts and persistent insecurity in the region were caused or aggravated by, economic stagnation and poverty, mistrust and suspicion between governments and political players, massive violation of human rights and other policies of exclusion and marginalization.
They also identified the use of violence for acquiring and conserving power, illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons, illicit trade in drugs, proliferation of armed groups and, organized crimes as reasons for the volatility of the situation in the Horn of Africa.
"We the Muslim and Christian Leaders do hereby make this statement and recommendations to ourselves and all stakeholders for consideration and action to sustain and intensify our prayers for the people of Somalia and the grave conditions they find themselves in, to ensure that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) continues with the on going dialogue on power sharing, leading to a broad based inclusive transitional government including leaders from the Union of the Islamic Courts (UIC), and to facilitate a phased and voluntary process of disarmament and demobilization rather than a forced one," said the statement.
The two day conference which brought together seventy Muslim and Christian leaders from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, and Sudan has been described as a historical.
"This was not only a historical meeting but also a beginning of a journey towards peace for the Horn of Africa by the two faiths. There was a show of unity of purpose in spite of the theological difference between the Muslims and the Christian leaders," said Fred Nyabera, from Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA).
Read the Christian and Muslim leaders' statement here
For more information, contact:
- Odd H. Evjen, regional representative for NCA Eatern Africa, Tel. +254 733 609936
- Isaiah Kipyegon, regional communication and advocacy coordinator for NCA Eastern Africa, Tel. +254 723 938133
- Fredrik Glad Gjernes, country representative for NCA in Tanzania, Tel. +255 78 7770811
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]