Clergy want Africa to face up to Somalia conflict

Kampala

The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda has called on government to use the forthcoming African Union Summit to remind all African countries that peace keeping in Somalia cannot be left to Uganda and Burundi alone.

Uganda and Burundi are the only two countries that have so far contributed troops to the African Union peacekeeping mission in war-torn Somalia -- a fact that has made them a declared target for elements opposed to what they say is foreign interference in that country’s internal affairs.

In a three-page statement read by the leader of the Orthodox Church in Uganda, Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga, who chairs the council, the men of the cloth yesterday said the Sunday night terror attacks have raised questions about Uganda’s immigration and foreign affairs policies, plus security matters in the country.

They asked Uganda’s security forces to learn from the July 11 incidents, noting that they “have tested the capacity of government [to] meet [its] obligation of protecting the lives and property of Ugandans”.

The council observed that some people believe that the tragedy could have been prevented if the country had a better security alert system. “We need to listen to such people even if they may not be wholly right,” the men of God said.

Echoing calls made in Parliament on Tuesday, the council urged the government to urgently revisit the role of peacekeeping in Africa with a view to sharing concerns with other heads of states.

Dr Cyprian Lwanga, the Archbishop of Kampala Catholic Diocese, the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi of the Church of Uganda, Sheikh Ramadhan Shaban Mubajje, the Mufti and Pastor John Kakembo, the archbishop of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, signed yesterday’s statement.

Prior to presenting the statement, the religious leaders visited injured victims currently admitted in Mulago National Referral Hospital and the private International Hospital Kampala.
The religious leaders appealed to the public to desist from speculation about who could have been behind the attacks. The radical Islamist al Shabaab militants of Somalia have claimed responsibility for the atrocities. “We urge you to join forces in rejecting terrorism. You need to guard against being consumed by anger and hatred.”