Chikane joins church leaders in peace mission to Burundi

GENEVA: The Reverend Frank Chikane, the former directorgeneral of the Presidency, was among a delegation of the World Council of Churches ( WCC) who visited Burundi this week as the central African nation teeters on chaos.

Last week President Jacob Zuma visited Burundi as the head of a five- member AU heads- of- state delegation for talks aimed at bringing an end to the country’s crisis.

The crisis was triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision in April last year to run for a third term‚ which he won in an election in July.

The Geneva-based WCC said it was sending its general secretary, Rev Olav Fykse Tveit, and other leaders from the council, including representatives of the Nairobi-based All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC).

Chikane is in a group which includes: Dr Agnes Abuom, moderator of the WCC’s main governing body, its central committee; Bishop Jan Janssen of the Lutheran Church in Germany; Archbishop Valentine Mokiwa, AACC president; Elizabeth Kisiigha, executive director of the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa; Dr Nigussu Legesse of the WCC staff; and Afiwa Alahare of the AACC staff.

They were set to be in Burundi until yesterday.

From 1987 to 1994, Chikane was secretary general of the South African Council of Churches, playing a key role in the Struggle against apartheid.

Tveit said: “We want to express our great concern over the current escalation of tensions and violence in the country following the recent election.

“As representatives of the ecumenical family, we pray for peace to prevail in Burundi.”

The ecumenical delegation representing Christians from many traditions met religious leaders, government officials, the opposition, members of international organisations and humanitarian organisations.

In a joint statement on December 18, the WCC and AACC observed that the political crisis in Burundi “has latterly been marked by brutal violence, targeted attacks, extrajudicial killings, severe oppression and the incitement of communal tensions”.

“We appeal to the government and political leadership of Burundi to step back from the path of violence on to the path of peace,” they said.

They called for “responsible leadership that does not tolerate complicity in killings and other serious violations“and reiterated their calls this week. – Independent Foreign Service

DELEGATE: Frank Chikane.