Africa's wars are fuelled by outside forces, says bishop

Most of the wars being fought in Africa are being fuelled by forces outside the continent, according to a delegate at the Interfaith Peace Summit taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, Catholic Information Service Africa reports. Bishop Mvume Dandala, the General Secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) also said that most of the wars in Africa were caused by the wealth in Africa which developed countries were seeking to exploit. "What is absurd in these wars is that civilian casualties often outnumber the soldiers and combatants killed in battle," said the Bishop. He said that one outstanding aspect after the Second World War is increased conflicts "within countries and regions." The Bishop called on religious representatives to work tirelessly towards strengthening the will of the people in Africa. He said that Africa had more than 2 000 religions, and therefore the reason why the antagonists found it easy to fuel war by cultivating animosity between the different groups. "Our first step in interfaith initiatives is therefore to consolidate interfaith harmony which then helps to create a culture of dialogue among communities of different faiths," said Bishop Dandala. Source: CISA