Nigeria, S/Africa institutes condemn xenophobic attacks

By Ochiaka Ugwu

Nigeria’s Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) and the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA)/Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) have strongly condemned xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans.
These institutes also pledged to mobilize forces against violence in the African continent.
In a statement released in Abuja and signed by the Institute’s Resident Information Officer (RIO) Mr. Abu I. Michael noted that Acting Director General of IPCR, Dr. Bakut tswah Bakut and an Executive Director of AISA, Professor Cheryl Hendricks who led their teams to a joint meeting sequel the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at IPCR in Abuja called on African leaders to join forces against any forms of violence in the continent.
According to the statement, “They observed that the continent used to be a haven of peace because of the respect the people have for one another and the communality they shared. “They reasoned that the values which were pivotal to the communality that promotes peace have eluded us pointing out the urgent need for the leaders in the continent to take appropriate actions in order to mitigate the ugly situation.
“They also expressed the need to identify factors that enhanced peaceful coexistence and unity in Africa so that they could be projected in the efforts of reclaiming African’ sense of togetherness, mutual understanding and support.
“They said the spirit of Pan-Africanism must be reechoed to recover and uphold the virtues that oppose xenophobia and all forms of violence that are inimical to peace and sustainable development.
“The key areas of collaboration as contained in the MoU that was signed include joint research projects and publications with focus on governance, peace and security; mutual assistance in establishment of new programmes and projects; exchange of information and publications; staff exchange visits for research and knowledge-sharing and transfer among others.
“The collaboration among other things will work towards the design of a realistic African Peace and Security Architecture which both institutes would help to drive” the statement concluded.