News
Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), will lead a delegation to the Horn of Africa, 1-16 July. The main purpose of the visit is to learn more about the ongoing conflicts in the region and the peace-building role churches can play. Raiser notes that a major need is "to reflect with the churches on the challenge of Christians and Muslims living together without their differences turning into sources of conflict". The delegation will visit northern and southern Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Tanzania and Kenya.
Ethiopia and Eritrea
The bitter border war raging since 1998 between the two countries appears to have been settled via a recent agreement. Although each country is more peaceful now than at any time over the past four decades, enormous problems of poverty, economic instability, governance, health, internal displacement and risk of famine remain.
The WCC was intensively involved behind the scenes during the border war. Raiser notes that the WCC, through Norwegian Church Aid, facilitated contacts between religious leaders on both sides to strengthen their capacity to contribute to ending the conflict. "Now is the time to analyze the current situation, and refocus their role in a new relationship between Ethiopia and Eritrea," Raiser says.
The WCC has two member churches in Ethiopia: the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. While the present WCC general secretary has visited Ethiopia before, it will be the first official WCC visit to Eritrea since its independence.
Northern and Southern Sudan
The largest country in Africa, Sudan has been longer at war than at peace since its independence in 1956. There is a long history of WCC involvement in trying to resolve the conflict, including helping to broker a peace agreement in 1972. Raiser notes that the WCC has been repeatedly invited to play a mediating role by both the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). "We have been reluctant," he explains, "because we believe IGAD (the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) is the necessary political platform, and we don't want to create a second and competing platform."
The visit to both parts of the country is intended "to express solidarity and encouragement, and to find out in what way the ecumenical family can offer concrete support and help the halting process for political solution". The WCC in 1994 set up a Sudan Ecumenical Forum (SEF). This brought representatives from the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), based in Khartoum, and the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC), based in the south, together with overseas partners for monitoring and strategizing on "appropriate forms" of ecumenical support.
During a recent meeting of the SEF core group at the WCC offices in Geneva, Rev. Enock Tombe, SCC general secretary, and Rev. Haruun Ruun, NSCC executive secretary, reflected on the upcoming ecumenical visit. Tombe expressed the hope that the visit would help find a way for the churches to participate in the peace process. "We want peace to come, peace which is lasting, peace with justice." For this, he states, "the people must be involved, the victims must be involved" in the peace process.
Ruun notes that the international community is taking more notice of Sudan since the attacks of September 11, and hopes that such attention will bring more opportunities for a solution to the long-standing conflict. Such attention, he says, means the churches must get more involved. "The fact that the WCC is visiting Sudan at this time is important. Do we have an opportunity to say more about Sudan? Has the time come? What can we do? Dr Raiser's visit is meaningful and useful to help all of us learn how these opportunities can be taken."
The Episcopal Church of the Sudan and the Presbyterian Church of the Sudan are members of the WCC. This will be the first official visit of a WCC general secretary to both parts of the Sudan.
Tanzania
Despite the relatively peaceful and democratic processes now underway in Tanzania, economic growth is limited and the country faces spillover effects from the crises in Burundi, Rwanda and the Congo. The ecumenical delegation will visit the International Tribunal on the Rwandan Genocide at Arusha, with a particular focus, Raiser emphasizes, on "restorative justice". The visit is also intended to renew links with the Christian Council of Tanzania and look at relationships between the Christian and the Muslim communities in the country.
WCC member churches include the Anglican Church of Tanzania, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, and the Moravian Church in Tanzania.
Kenya
Kenya has the strongest economy in the region, but faces continuing political challenges, poverty, and health and HIV/AIDs concerns. In visiting the churches, the delegation will look at ways to increase the effectiveness of Christian witness in Kenyan society.
WCC member churches in Kenya include the African Christian Church and Schools; the African Church of the Holy Spirit; the African Israel Church, Ninevah; Anglican Church of Kenya; Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church; Methodist Church in Kenya; and the Presbyterian Church of East Africa.
Schedule:
Sudan, Khartoum: 1-3 July
Tanzania: 4-7 July
Southern Sudan: 8-9 July
Ethiopia: 10-12 July
Kenya: 12-14 July
Eritrea: 14-16 July
Delegation members:
Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, WCC general secretary
Dr Agnes Abuom, WCC president (Sudan, Kenya, Eritrea portions of visit)
Ms Karimi Kinoti, former coordinator of FECCLAHA, All Africa Conference of Churches Mr Stein Villumstad, East Africa regional representative, Norwegian Church Aid, (Sudan-Khartoum, Ethiopia, Eritrea)
Mr William Temu, WCC regional secretary for Africa
Mr Mitch Odero, head of Information & Communication Department, All Africa Conference of Churches
Mr Peter Williams, WCC photographer and videographer (Southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea)
Contacts for the delegation during the visit:
Sudan: Tel +249 123 03174 (Rev Enock Tombe)
Tanzania:
4-5 July
e-mail: [email protected] and/or [email protected]
Tel + 255 27 250 8855/6/7, mobile:+ 255 744 293 450 (Rev. Dr Mwaipopo)
5-7 July
e-mail: [email protected]
Messages on mobile no: + 255 744 291 815 or + 255 741 338 752 (Justine)
Ethiopia: e-mail: [email protected] (Rev. Dr Habte)
Kenya : e-mail [email protected] Tel + 254 2 571 080/ 567 225; Fax: + 254 2 562 385
Whole visit: mobile + 41 79 776 6880 (William Temu)