Central African Republic: Cardinal Nzapalainga pays tribute to Muslim peacemaker Kobine Lamaya

Cardinal Nzapalainga with Imam Omar Lamaya

Source: Fides

Imam Omar Kobine Lamaya, President of the Higher Islamic Council of the Central African Republic, died in Bangui on 28 November at the age of 66. Paying tribute to him. Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Archbishop of Bangui said: "It is a baobab that has fallen, because this man was a scholar, a man of wisdom, who spoke of unity and had respect and appreciation for his fellow men."

The Imam was one of the co-founders of the Platform of Religions of the Central African Republic (PCRC), which since 2012 has brought together Catholic and Protestant churches, as well as the Muslim community he represents. The PCRC was a major mediation organization in the civil war that rocked the country in 2013. The organization also received the UN Human Rights Award in 2015 as a tribute to its peace work.

"We fought together to preserve unity, invited to respect and appreciate each other " - recalls the Cardinal, who referred to the late Imam as "my elder brother."

Among the recent initiatives promoted by the late Iman together with other religious leaders is the Interconfessional Partnership for the consolidation of peace in the Central African Republic, a joint project financed by a group of Christian NGOs and Islamic to support peacebuilding.