standup.comboniyouth.org.uk

STATEMENT

We, the Comboni Missionaries: Sisters, Brothers and Fathers representing all those working in South Africa, Mozambique, Uganda, Sudan, Congo, Central Africa and Chad, gathered at Sizanani Village (Republic of South Africa), for a workshop on "NON VIOLENCE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION" from the 14th to the 24th November 2000, share in the call of God to His people and His Church to new commitment especially "TO BREAK THE SILENCE FOR PEACE IN AFRICA" during this Holy year of the Great Jubilee.

WE BELIEVE:
It is God's plan for us to live the mandate to evangelise in the new millennium with clear and specific focus and commitment on peace, justice, integrity of creation and reconciliation.
It is urgent to give priority and spend our energies to reach out to our people and promote their dignity, empower them to own their rights and duties as children of God, to come out of all sorts of unjust and conflict situations.

WE ADMIT
that at times our silence and our attitudes as evangelizers have compromised with these situations and we lacked the courage in the face of open injustices coming less to our charism which calls us to be the voice of the voiceless.

WE DENOUNCE:
- The silence of the different local and international News Agencies, who turn blind eye to the situations of injustice and violence and their causes in Africa. At times our own silence and attitude as evangelizers compromise with these situations.
- The open interference of European Countries, U.S. and Russia. The complacency of the African Governments depriving the nations of their status and of the ownership of the journey to true peace, justice, reconciliation and development, for economical interests.
- The new forms of slavery:
The "Resettlement" to eradicate large groups of people from South Sudan.
The "Protected camps" in North Uganda.
The "Children Soldiers" in Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
The systematic evacuation of educated Christians from North Sudan.
- The existing slave trade of large number of children and youth particularly from Southern Sudan. Shame on the world in this 21st century!
- The ambiguous interventions of UN, UNICEF, OAU in strumentalising critical situations of peoples' hunger, poverty, insecurity and underdevelopment focusing, instead, on their policy.
- The multinational companies especially those from France, Canada and China exploiting Sudan of its oil and holding back the peace negotiations to end the conflict between North and South.
- The arms trade from US, UK, France, Russia, Republic of South Africa and others that make a living out of the killing of the people of Africa.
- The lack of implementation of the OTTAWA agreement banning ofanti personnel land mines.

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:
- To be faithful to our motto: "BREAK THE SILENCE FOR PEACE IN AFRICA".
- To educate ourselves and the apostolic communities to peace, justice, integrity of creation,
reconciliation.
- To teach and implement the social teachings of the Catholic Church.
- To conscientising and empowering the people for self-determination in implementing and pursuing peace initiatives to achieve democracy.
- To use our schools, catechetical centres and Parish groups to promote peace, justice, integrity of creation and reconciliation.
- To promote and support peace initiatives whether ecumenical or local, aiming at changing a war - mentality into an active non-violent one.
- We re-empower ourselves as daughters and sons of blessed Daniel Comboni to the common cause of the poorest and most abandoned of the world.