ACEAC Bishops meet in Dar es Salaam for Great Lakes peace talks

For over thirty years, “our sub-region has been burdened by disturbances to peace at multiple levels.” These are the words of the members of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa (ACEAC) in view of the armed conflicts taking place in Africa’s Great Lakes region, especially in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Christian Losambe, SJ – Vatican City

In a message published this week, the Bishops denounce the culture of death that has resulted in thousands of innocent civilian victims.

Blessed are the peacemakers

“The sub-region is on the brink of implosion, risking the generalization of deadly wars,” warn the ACEAC Bishops in their jointly signed message titled “Blessed are the Peacemakers.”

“Deeply affected and hurt by the escalating conflicts,” the Catholic Cardinals and Bishops from the three Great Lakes countries – Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda – urge armed groups that continue to multiply and sow death in the sub-region, “to stop defending their claims through the use of weapons that kill their own brothers and sisters. The Bishops are calling for dialogue.

Turn swords into ploughshares

Gathered in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to deepen their commitment to peace among communities and countries in the Great Lakes region, the ACEAC expressed its faith and hope in the facilitators of the Nairobi and Luanda processes, which have since merged.

“We assure them of our willingness to contribute to the building of peace, of which we are protagonists due to our evangelical mission,” they confirm while wishing that “our countries turn swords that kill into ploughshares for the development of the sub-region.”

Furthermore, the prelates urge the Heads of State of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to consider some of ACEAC’s suggestions and resolutions.

The Nairobi and Luanda processes

According to the United Nations’ analysis of how to stabilize the region, the historic joint EAC-SADC summit held in Dar es Salaam, on 8 February 2025 was essential in consolidating the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes.

The joint conference in Dar called for an immediate ceasefire, but this has had little effect so far. The summit demanded the “lifting of Rwanda’s defensive measures and the disengagement of forces from the DRC.” The summit also advocated for the urgent consolidation of the Luanda and Nairobi processes.

(Additional Reporting, Vatican News)

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