Rwandan civil society joins quest for peace in S. Sudan, CAR

Religious leaders and youth from South Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR) are converging in Kigali for two days to discuss ways of ending conflict that has torn apart the two countries. About 200 participants are expected to attend the meeting, dubbed Global Peace conference, that kicks off today. Jean Nepo Sibomana, the Executive Director of Rwanda Youth Action Network, said by convening the conference in Kigali, the delegates will better understand Rwanda’s story – from the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to the the reconciliation journey that followed thereafter. “We expect them to draw lessons from Rwanda and apply them in their respective countries. We hope to accompany them through the journey of peace building, reconciliation and reintegration,” Sibomana said. Sibomana added that they also want to raise awareness of what is taking place in the two countries (South Sudan and CAR) so as to drum up support from various partners across the world to help them in their journey of peace building. Rwanda Youth Action Network led a campaign in 2011 that saw them raise $50,000 for people starving in the Horn of Africa. Aegis Trust country director Fred Mutanguha said the conference will serve to offer lessons to Rwandans that, contrary to popular belief, genocide and atrocities could stem from reasons beyond ethnic divisions like religion. “We hope after this conference more young people will be more involved in peace promotion and building initiatives all across the world,” Mutanguha said. He noted that the conference is supposed to be a wakeup call for religious leaders of the two countries; some of them have been, to a large extent, involved and accused of taking part in atrocities in the countries involved in conflict. “It is time to show them that they can either have a constructive or destructive role in atrocities, just as they can easily cause people to go to war, they can be peace builders,” he said, adding that these civil society oriented efforts complement the work done by Rwandan peacekeepers in the two countries, he said. Rwanda has more than 5,000 peacekeepers in various peacekeeping missions across the world, making it the sixth largest troop contributor to UN peace keeping missions. In CAR, Rwanda maintains about 850 Rwanda Defense Force peacekeepers whose mandate includes protection of civilians, restoration of security and order and protecting the head of state amongst other duties. In South Sudan Rwanda has a force of more than 1,650 troops under the UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Speaking last month at a UN meeting Samantha Powers, the US permanent representative to the United Nations, said Rwandan troops taking part in peacekeeping missions around the world have earned the trust of host communities and serve as a source of strength for other peacekeepers serving alongside them. Peace talks between South Sudan’s government and rebels resumed in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Monday, overseen by regional bloc, Igad. Igad has set August 10 deadline to agree on a transitional government and implement a ceasefire.

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Rwandan civil society joins quest for peace in S. Sudan, CAR