WCC general secretary praises Sudan's peace agreement
Cf. Press Release PR-04-07 of 17 May 2004
Calling the recent peace agreement "an important step towards national reconciliation and healing" and "a turning point for the people of Sudan", the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia congratulated the parties involved and voiced the "joy and happiness" of the WCC member churches "on this momentous and historic occasion of the signing of the peace protocols, after 21 years of bitter conflict".
In letters sent today to the vice-president of Sudan Ali Osman Taha and to the chief of the Sudan People's Liberation Army / Movement (SPLA/M) John Garang, Kobia also pointed to the fact that this is the beginning of a "long and difficult process for reconstruction, healing and reconciliation" that will entail "sacrifice and painstaking hard work from all parties".
Recalling the longstanding WCC commitment to peace and reconciliation in Sudan, which goes back to the early 60s, he assured the two parties that the Council will continue to be in solidarity with "efforts towards the consolidation of peace and justice in Sudan".
In a separate letter also sent today to the Kenyan minister of Foreign Affairs Kalonzo Musyoka, the WCC general secretary expressed deep gratitude to the government of Kenya for the "tenacity and resilience" demonstrated "during the delicate peace process on Sudan".
Earlier this month, Kobia urged the president of Sudan Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir "to work for an immediate end to hostilities" and "to take steps to put an end to human rights violations" in the Darfur region. The appeal, made in a letter sent on 7 May, 2004, included a call for "a negotiated settlement so that much-needed humanitarian relief is able to reach those in desperate need of such assistance".
