The General Assembly of the Catholic Diocese of Wukari, located in Taraba State, has issued an appeal to Governor Agbu Kefas, requesting the governor’s assistance in facilitating the repatriation return and reintegration of internally displaced persons to their ancestral homelands.
The assembly’s leaders, Mark Nzukwein and Sinon Akuraga, noted the importance of justice and peace in the reconciliation process in a communique released on Saturday.
The assembly highlighted that achieving reconciliation necessitates addressing the underlying grievances fuelling the conflict. It stressed the significance of dialogue and conscientious efforts to heal the wounds inflicted by past and ongoing conflicts among warring factions.
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The statement articulated, “The conflicts in Taraba State, particularly in the Central and Southern regions, are multifaceted, resulting in the loss of lives and displacement of thousands. Often, these conflicts are oversimplified, underreported, or altogether overlooked, revolving around issues of land, politics, and conquest.”
Acknowledging the detrimental impact of conflict on development, the church highlighted its role in promoting harmony and unity. It lamented the emotional and spiritual toll inflicted by destructive conflicts, which not only fracture communities but also impede progress, fuel animosity, and drain resources through costly litigations.
“The church acknowledges that conflict has always been the bane of development and the cause of tension. Apart from killing an individual or group emotionally and spiritually, destructive conflicts hurt group cohesion, promote interpersonal hostilities, divert energies, create bad feelings, lead to high labour turnover, and costly litigations and it can even kill physically.”
