President Kagame today received members of the African Council of Religious Leaders who called on him at his office in Village Urugwiro, Kacyiru. The group of 47 religious leaders are meeting in Kigali to participate in a three-day meeting on “Strengthening multi-religious efforts for peace building, sustainable development and reconciliation.”
President Kagame welcomed and thanked the religious leaders from different denominations for coming together to share ideas on peace building and development. Every nation in the world needs peace and development and there is none that can achieve this alone, the President said, adding that no nation can ignore the problems of its neighbour because it can also be affected. He emphasized that African nations should draw from their rich traditions and values and endeavour to own their destiny and also learn from each other.
Sheikh Habimana Saleh, the newly elected head of the religious leaders’ network said that the delegation had a good meeting with the head of state and that they had greatly benefited from the interaction. “The President was happy with the visit by religious leaders in the country and said that cooperation is significant in solving problems. He advised us to refrain from depending on others, but instead to begin taking care of our own,”. He pointed out that religious leaders want to campaign for peace because in recent times, prayer houses have been used for activities that breach peace yet they are supposed to be places for prayers and worship.
Sheikh Shaban Mubajje, the Mufti of Uganda, co-Chairman of the council explained that the African Council of Religious Leaders was formed in 2003 in Abuja to mobilize religious leaders across the continent to come together and build peace to foster development in collaboration with politicians, international organizations and other stakeholders. He appealed to politicians and international organizations to cooperate with the council to strengthen peace building and foster development.