Elders Linchpin for Durable Peace, Says Muferihat Kamil

Addis Ababa January 14/2019 Elders are the linchpin for ensuring sustainable peace, according to Ministry of Peace.

Opening “Elders for National Peace” conference that brought about 1,200 elders from across the country, Peace Minister Muferihat Kamil said elders can replace hatred and revenge by love and reconciliation.

The aim of the conference is to revive the lofty values that used to resolve conflicts and other problems that occur in the society peacefully.

Peace Minister Muferihat noted that the wisdom of the elderly opens the minds and hearts of the people whenever conflict erupts and they intervene to handle the problems.

According to her, "these extremely useful values are, however, disappearing gradually and this will have detrimental effect in ensuring peace."

Stating that the government would continue working to realize the rule of law, Muferihat called upon elders to play their role in building peace and harmony within the society.

Eastern Mennonite University lecturer, Professor Hizkias Assefa said on his part elders played paramount role in addressing conflicts before they escalated.

However, the government gave little attention to the role of elders, he noted, adding that the educated too did not properly heed to the contributions of the elderly, undermining indigenous values.

Professor Hizkias stated that conducting dialogues and organizing events like today’s conference will help to revive the old but important indigenous values.