Religious group opts for "traditional" methods of conflict resolution

Calling for "African solutions to African problems", a group of religious organisations meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, recommended on Tuesday the use of traditional methods to resolve conflicts in the Great Lakes region. The recommendation was among several made at the end of a two-day workshop organised by the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa, where the group adopted a position paper ahead of a planned UN and African Union (AU) international conference on the Great Lakes. The group said there was need for religious leaders to conduct demobilisation, demilitarisation, rehabilitation, in a coordinated manner. They named Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda as some of the countries where the most pressing conflict resolution issues existed. The group's position paper will be submitted to the region's heads of state and government in an effort to make the UN and AU-facilitated conference as inclusive as possible. The workshop was one of the preparatory processes for the international conference scheduled for November in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Other preparations include meetings of national and regional preparatory committees as well as subregional organisations. The UN-AU conference is due to recommend principles and actions to be implemented to ensure lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes. Participants at the workshop discussed the four major themes of the Great Lakes conference and recommended how these could be improved. Under democracy and good governance, the participants said the principles of "human dignity, justice, and social inclusion" were most important. Their position paper also recommended a zero tolerance policy on corruption and the promotion of merit-based leadership in order to "promote an environment for dialogue and consensus building towards peaceful resolution of conflicts". They made recommendations on humanitarian and social issues, in line with the principles of solidarity, compassion, human rights and forgiveness. They recommended that governments recognise that regional conflict has an "immense impact" on all people living in the Great Lakes. They identified the reintegration of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS as some of the major issues on which governments needed to act. The position paper called for improved rights of children by urging political leaders to "unequivocally desist from using child soldiers", and recommended that governments "recognise the plight of AIDS orphans and provide support services to care-givers and the affected in society". Saying that farming was the region's main economic activity, the position paper urged governments in the region to support agriculture through the improvement of regional infrastructure and the amendment of laws that impede trade between countries. The participants suggested the establishment of a free trade area within the region, and that governments need to "recognise the fact that the natural resources in DRC are a key factor causing instability in the region". The position paper also recommended that governments in the region manage natural resources in a way that would benefit the entire region.