Building a Lasting Peace

SCIAF has established a Forum for Peace which brings together our partners in Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They meet twice a year to talk about the situation in each of their countries and collectively agree on how they can work together to bring about peace, combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and tackle food insecurity.

Stephen and I attend the latest meeting which is hosted by CODILUSI at their headquarters in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu (DRC). The meeting, which focuses on peacebuilding, is a great success.

I return to Glasgow on 26 July. The major lesson I have learned on my field visit to central Africa is that the most valuable asset stolen from the Great Lakes region was the sovereignty of its people. If a lasting peace is to be established, much more will need to be done to return authority to its rightful place, into the hands of the people themselves.