Peace and War

Written by ANiSA Associate

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has announced the appointment of Mulanda Jimmy Juma, who comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as the new MCC Regional Peace Advisor for southern Africa.

Jimmy Juma, as he is known, holds a Masters degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, and has served as a Research Assistant at St. Augustine College of South Africa in Johannesburg.

Water cannons try to disperse strikers (pic courtesy Timeslive)

Written by Jonathan Jansen

'They lied to us, they lied to us, they lied to us!" The bearded white man shook with emotion as he repeated these words after the talk I had just delivered at a Men's Convention in the poor white community of Elsburg in the south of Johannesburg.

As the war-torn country of Sudan moves past its recent elections and towards a crucial vote that will decide if the south splits from the northern region, Bishop Macram Gassis is continuing his tireless efforts to promote peace.

Bishop Macram Gassis of Sudan was the subject of a recent National Catholic Register piece that spoke about the prelate's efforts since his appointment in the 1980s within the conflict-ridden country.

Written by Chad Umble

In the African country of Burundi, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and its local partners are supporting efforts to monitor voting and election conflicts, hoping to minimize violence during an already tense series of elections this summer.

Burundi’s election season started in late May and will continue through September, with at least five elections scheduled during those months. These elections are the first since all rebel groups laid down their weapons in 2008, officially ending the country’s 15-year civil war. 



Holy Warriors, Infidels, and Peacemakers in Africa

Faith leaders in Africa have a responsibility to act as peacemakers rather than fuel strife, says a Lutheran theologian from Eritrea. 



"There are some situations in sub-Saharan Africa where religion-based politics has unleashed violence on a grand scale," author Yacob Tesfai said on 2 July, presenting his new book, "Holy Warriors, Infidels, and Peacemakers in Africa", at the Geneva headquarters of the World Council of Churches. 



Parties to the Middle East conflict should learn the lessons of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, instead of 'futile' argument about whether parallels outweigh the differences with apartheid, said Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, yesterday (1 July), at the UN African Meeting on the Question of Palestine in Rabat, Morocco. One of the most important lessons was that true dialogue must provide adequate opportunity for every voice to be respectfully heard. He called for the perspective of Palestinian Christians not to be overlooked.

(pic courtesy MCC)

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has released the PeaceParts Toolkit, which introduces concepts of justice and peacebuilding through interactive lessons for children and adults.

Real-life examples show some of MCC’s peacebuilding work around the world, while inviting reflection on how individuals can work for peace in their own communities.

The Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana (USA) will host an ecumenical peace conference 28-31 July 2010, focusing on contemporary North American responses to war.

Christian peacemakers of all traditions and disciplines are expected to attend the "Peace Among the Peoples" conference, aimed at reinvigorating the churches’ conversation on war and peace. The event is a preparatory meeting for the World Council of Churches’ 2011 International Ecumenical Peace Convocation.

An International Soccer Peace Tournament organised by Catholics has brought together “South Africans, immigrants, and fans from around the world, united in the greatest challenge, peace.”

"We want to involve all South Africans in the world, especially those who remain on the margins of this event," Antoine Soubrier from the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference explained to the news agency Fides.

(picture courtesy of WCC)

Although it is often portrayed as a religious conflict, the crisis in Nigeria's Central Plateau State is of social and economic nature, the country's foreign minister told church representatives. The church delegation advocated for government action to develop the area and to bring to trial those responsible for an outburst of communal violence last March.

For Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Henry Odein, the country faces "a lot of challenges which are largely misunderstood by the international community".