Catholic Bishops in Africa Urged to Be “more engaged in speaking out for right policies”

Accra, 30 July, 2022 / 9:45 PM

There is need for Catholic Bishops in Africa to advocate for “right policies” that facilitate equitable distribution of resources in their respective countries, a UN Senior Mediation Adviser has told delegates of the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

Addressing SECAM delegates in Ghana’s capital city, Accra, who include over 120 Catholic Bishops coming from the eight regional associations of the continental symposium, Emmanuel Habuka Bombande acknowledged the efforts of the Catholic Bishops in Nigeria amid kidnappings and murder that seem to target Christians.

“I urge and appeal for the Church through its leaders to continue and increase its presence to be more proactive, more engaged in speaking out for the right policies that ensure society as a whole benefit from the resources of the state,” Mr. Bombande said in his Tuesday, July 26 presentation titled, “The Challenges of Terrorism and Insurgency in Africa.”

In advocating for appropriate policies, the Ghanaian Peacebuilding practitioner further said, Catholic Bishops “promote social justice and inclusion of all”, which, he added, can go a long way in addressing “the challenges of terrorism and insurgency in Africa.”

He called upon Catholic Bishops in Africa to “reinvigorate” the Justice and Peace Commissions of their respective Episcopal Sees and Conferences, saying the commissions “can provide our Bishops with the quality analysis upon which they can speak forcefully” and “be heard loudly in all the corridors of power where social injustice is hatched”.

He made reference to Catholic Bishops in Nigeria who have decried injustices in the West African nation and called upon the government to take responsibility and protect citizens.

“Let me not create the impression that this is not happening,” the co-Founder of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) said in reference to Catholic Church leaders speaking out against evil in society.

“I follow closely how our Bishops continue to speak up sometimes at the prize of being abducted and Priests killed as it has happened in Nigeria,” he said, and added, “The challenge is to ask how the Church as a whole can be in solidarity in action and prayer with the countries where such atrocities are (taking) place.”

Additionally, Mr. Bombande said, “The Church should equally participate to be the intermediary for dialogue and consensus building to overcome social, economic, and political divisions in our countries.” 

“The challenges of terrorism and insurgency in Africa does not stand alone and in isolation of the numerous other challenges afflicting Africa,” he said.

He went on to highlight other challenges on the continent, saying, “Vulnerable groups, women, youths without gainful employment, and informal workers have been disproportionately affected.”

Other challenges that the Former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Ghana highlighted in his July 26 presentation include climate change, and the effects of COVID-19.

“All these cumulatively are drivers of terrorism as extremist groups exploit vulnerabilities to radicalize and recruit young people to engage in terrorists’ activities,” Mr. Bombande said in reference to the various challenges the people of God in Africa face.

He continued, “Further exacerbating our weaknesses is bad governance superintendent by leaders who rather than uniting people with a common purpose and resolve to confront Africa’s challenges, exclude others, divide, and manipulate the institutions of the state to maintain themselves in political power.”

In addressing terrorism and insurgency in Africa, Mr. Bombande faulted the prioritization of military operations, which he said have aimed at annihilating the jihadist groups and that they have not been successful. 

The effective approach in addressing terrorism and insurgency in Africa, he said, is to begin by addressing intercommunal violence, which he said is “an indicator of future jihadist expansion”.

In many African countries, the Ghanaian peacebuilding practitioner said, “intercommunal violence persists with its attendant consequences of social, economic polarization increasingly aggravated by unhealthy multi-party-political competition.”

Addressing intercommunal violence requires strategic conflict resolution and peacebuilding processes from local communities to national levels in African States, Mr. Bombande said.

In the absence of such strategy, he said, “the intercommunal violence could escalate to untenable levels providing jihadist the entry points to exploit societal and structural vulnerabilities to have easy access for the radicalization and recruitment of young people to increase terrorism on the continent.”

“Interconnection between governance, peace and security is central for an effective response to violent extremism and terrorism,” the Ghanaian peacebuilding practitioner said.

He expressed optimism about the future, saying that the people of God in Africa are resilient and “will come out stronger from the carnage of terrorism and insurgencies afflicting our countries and communities.”