- Says lives of people of West Africa are at stake
The Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops under the auspices of the Reunion of Episcopal Conferences of West Africa (RECOWA) have written the President of ECOWAS, Heads of State of ECOWAS and Transitional Authorities in Niger to adopt peaceful measures in resolving the political quagmire in Niger Republic and not using military approach. In a two-page letter entitled “Letter urging restraint and discernment in the management of the socio-political situation” the prelates said deploying military intervention will lead to collateral damages and put lives of the people of West Africa in grave danger.
The letter signed by Most Rev. Alexis Toouabli Youlo, Bishop of Agboville and President, RECOWA and made available to The Catholic Herald weekly newspaper, enjoined the ECOWAS Leaders to put the interest, safety and wellbeing of West Africans first in restoring democracy and also consider the implications of its actions on the people of the Niger Republic and the wider West African sub-region. The letter read in parts, “We, the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops of the Reunion of Episcopal Conferences of West Africa, after consultations, are deeply concerned by the sub-regional tension linked to the political situation in Niger. Faced with the events currently unfolding in the sub-region, the lives of the people of West Africa are at stake. “
Keeping as our central vision the integrity of the people and emphasising respect for human dignity and a high sense of accountability to mankind, history and God the Creator, we affirm that nothing can justify the creation or facilitation of an environment that is destructive to our people.” The high ranking clerics condemned in strong terms military intervention. “We, your pastors, are convinced, and the history of people teaches us that violence does not solve any problem, not even the one that triggered it. We affirm that any military intervention in Niger at this time would complicate the situation of the people of Niger and the sub-region more than it would provide solutions.”
Regretting how terrorism has had what they described as “a macabre toll of widows, orphans, displaced persons, the hungry, the maimed”, the prelates cautioned that the regional, Africa and other institutions should not add to this toll. The Bishops cited Libya as a tragic example of the disastrous consequences for people’s lives, dignity and future, consequent upon a military intervention and therefore warned, “We cannot remain silent in the face of such situations and must learn lessons to ensure that such events do not happen again, particularly with Niger as a potential epicentre of a similar crisis. “
As a Bishops’ conference, our mission is intimately linked to the promotion of reconciliation and peace. We firmly believe that every human being is called to live in peace and to be a peacemaker in accordance with the teachings of the Bible and those of the holy books of other religious confessions, which exhort us to work for reconciliation and brotherhood between all peoples. “Peace is a precious gift that we must cultivate and preserve together. It is like a common mat that we must weave together with each person contributing to his or her own thread.” They urged all men, women and national, sub-regional and international organisations to play a positive role in easing tensions and promoting lasting peace, stressing that the people of the region “love and accept each other and are constantly seeking to improve their coexistence. “This is a natural gift that we must support and encourage. Every actor and institution should contribute positively to this process by promoting dialogue and cooperation,” the bishops further demanded.
The letter further read, “We call on regional and sub-regional institutions such as ECOWAS and the African Union to show responsibility before history and to revisit their respective missions. At this critical and delicate time, according to them, it is essential that these organisations play an active role in the search for peaceful and lasting solutions, putting the interests of the people and respect for their dignity first.” The Bishops additionally enjoined the ECOWAS leaders to respond positively to this call for restraint, discernment and responsibility. They stressed, “Let us work together to build a future of peace and prosperity for our region and Africa as a whole.”