Eminent Ecumenical Persons on solidarity visit to Burundi
The Anglican Archbishop of Burundi, Bernard Ntahoturi. Photo: Fredrick Nzwili/WCC
By Fredrick Nzwili (*)
An ecumenical solidarity visit to Burundi, led by the former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, under the Eminent Persons Ecumenical Programme for Peace in Africa (EPEPPA), started in the country's capital, Bujumbura, on 29 January.
The delegation, which included representatives from the World Council of Churches (WCC), the All Africa Conference of Churches and the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa, was visiting the country at invitation of the Burundi church leaders.
They were meeting with top government officials in order to reinforce the Burundian peace process.
Burundi has been ravaged by a series of conflicts since its independence in 1962. The cycle of conflicts has repeated itself periodically between 1965 and 1996. The conflicts always involved an ethnic dimension as Hutu and Tutsi communities were pitted against each other and thousands of people were displaced.
The hope of the church leaders is to end a current cycle of violence and bring conflicting parties to the negotiation table. Otherwise, they believe, Burundi will slip into another war.
On arrival in Bujumbura, former president Chissano told the delegation peace is in the soul and the heart of each one of them.
"How can you make peace when you are not at peace with yourself," he inquired. "If you want to see Africa integrated, we must make sure that we wake up with peace in our hearts, and we will always be able to make peace with our neighbours."
The Eminent Persons programme responds to the longstanding aspiration of churches in Africa to address peace and conflict resolution issues on the continent and plays a critical role in peacemaking and peace building. It is a joint initiative of the All Africa Conference of Churches, the Church World Service and the WCC.
"We would like to use these eminent persons to consolidate peace in situations where it is needed," said André Karamaga, the Africa program executive for the WCC. "We need to comment that many things have been done by local peace keepers, peace makers and the churches in peace building. We need to celebrate that."
"Having this group at this time is a blessing, because you are of high esteem in Africa and the world," the Anglican Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi of Burundi told the delegation.
In 2001, a transitional government was installed in Burundi following a peace pact known as the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement. The agreement included 17 political parties, but was dismissed by a section of the rebel groups.
The ensuing violence made the main Hutu political party, FRODEBU, lose local support to the rebel movement CNDD-FDD, according to briefing documents. The government and CNDD-FDD have since signed an agreement, but one rebel group, the Palipehutu-FNL, has stayed away from it.
"The negotiations between government and FNL were not going well," said Ntahoturi. "There was a stalemate in parliament. We felt there could be a crisis in our own country." "The situation has changed for the moment," he added. "The relationships between government and parliament are very good."
But according to Ntahoturi, the security situation is still of great concern, with people being killed by both the army and the police.
"The leaders of this country need a word of encouragement and that is what the churches of Burundi are doing," Ntahoturi said, urging the delegation to encourage the government to negotiate with the rebels so that Burundians may not continue living in fear.
"We live in a country that is very fragile, coming out of civil war, with wounds, wounds on many people. One single word can open the wounds," said Dr Elie Buconyori, Free Methodist bishop for Burundi and Kenya.
"The country has been crying for you to come and has seen some signs of hope. As you come here to show solidarity, we ask our people to seek dialogue, to seek peace," Buconyori said.
The progress made so far, according to the team's briefing paper on Burundi, symbolizes a ray a hope toward ending communal violence, assassinations and internal and displacement.
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(*) Fredrick Nzwili is a freelance journalist from Kenya. He is a correspondent for Ecumenical News International (ENI) based in the country's capital, Nairobi.
Information by the All Africa Conference of Churches on EPEPPA
ENI featured articles on the Burundi solidarity visit:
- Former Mozambique leader heads church peace mission to Burundi
- Top UN official in Burundi pledges support for churches' work