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BUJUMBURA – Religious leaders, ombudsmen and mediators from 38 countries are gathering in Bujumbura, capital of Burundi, for an international conference devoted to interfaith dialogue and conflict prevention.
"You should be true apostles of cohesion, stability, social harmony and sustainable development," Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza told the conference's opening session.
More than 200 delegates are taking part in the two-day event, sponsored by Burundi Ombudsman Mohamed Rukara, including 70 delegates from 38 African, Asian and European countries.
Participating countries include Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Egypt, Angola, the Vatican, Canada, France, Belgium, Turkey, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, among others.
According to the organizers, mainly Muslim, Catholic and protestant representatives were invited to the conference since they represented the world's major religions.
Didace Sunzu, spokesman for the ombudsman institution, said the conference was being convened to raise awareness about the dangers of interreligious conflict.
"They are close to communities and can therefore mobilize them for peace, solidarity and mutual respect," Sunzu told AA.
Burundi ombudsmen had organized national and regional conferences for religious leaders in 2012 and 2013 respectively to discuss recurrent ethnicity-based crises in the Great Lakes region.
The two events had recommended convening an international conference of religious leaders from around the world.
Burundi is a predominantly Christian country, with Catholics accounting for more than 60 percent of the population, Protestants 15 percent, and Muslims 5 percent.
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