wfn.org | Communiqué from the Executive Committee of the

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ALL AFRICA CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES

CONFERENCE DES EGLISES DE TOUTE L AFRIQUE

www.aacc-ceta.org	Tel: 254 - 20 - 4441483, 4441338/9 · Fax: 254 - 20-
4443241, 4445835
 · Email: secretariat@aacc-ceta.org

General Secretariat: Waiyaki Way, P.O. Box 14205 , 00800 Westlands,
Nairobi, Kenya

20 May 2005

 Communiqué from the Executive Committee of the All Africa Conference of
Churches

We Members of the Executive committee of the All Africa Conference of
Churches (AACC), meeting at the AACC headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya from
the 18-19 May 2005, deliberated on a number of pressing issues facing the
people of Africa.  After a period of soul searching and discernment for the
last two days, we arrived at the following decisions regarding several
challenges facing the continent of Africa and its people, while
acknowledging the significant work of many of our member churches on these
issues:

1.	       We unanimously agreed that our member churches across the
continent, African governments, members of civil society, and the
international community should work collectively to help resolve the wars
and violent conflicts affecting the following countries, as well others
across the continent: Burundi, Cote D ivoire, The Democratic Republic of
Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

2.	       We strongly urge that the church, the citizens of these
countries, their governments, and the wider international community work to
ensure that the rule of law is given a chance, that space is made for
democratic processes, and that conflicts be resolved through dialogue
rather than violence.  The consequences of the violent conflicts facing
these countries death and disability, civilian uprootedness, and the
destruction of infrastructure, security, and basic service providers are
too dire to be allowed to continue.

3.	       We urge that in countries such as Togo, Cote D ivoire,
Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, that opposition groups,
governments, and all stakeholders work to ensure that democracy is truly
participatory and that elections are held in ways that ensure that all
parties, including opposition groups, have adequate time to prepare.

4.	       We also urge that member churches across the continent stand
in solidarity with all the countries in Africa currently facing conflict
and war and accompany them through these difficult times and in the
transition to peacemaking.  The AACC and its member churches should begin
to live out this mandate by persistently monitoring the implementation of
the 2004-2005 comprehensive Sudanese peace agreement between the Khartoum
government and SPLA/M.

5.	       We also note with great concern the drought faced by
southern African countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and
Mozambique, and noted that other regions across the continent are also
greatly affected by a lack of rain this year.  In response, we call upon
the churches to pray and share their resources with those affected by the
drought, and we call upon African governments and the international
community to act in response to this looming humanitarian disaster.

_____________________
_______________________

Rev. DrNyansako Ni-Nku					     Rev. Dr. H.
Mvume Dandala

AACC President							   AACC
General Secretary