Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC), a URI Cooperation Circle in Nigeria, took part in a memorial service for the victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide in early May. The event was attended by the Rwandan High Commissioner to Nigeria and other civil society organization representatives, to remember the continued need to promote peace and human rights at every level, constructive reconciliation efforts, and the establishment of a culture of tolerance and dialogue.
The roots of conflict share unfortunate similarities despite some diversity in geography or actual actors. For Nigerians, the Rwandan genocide and the reconstruction process are especially poignant given their own history of religiously-motivated violence, including the 1967 civil war and the Kaduna riots in 2000. While steps have been made, such as the Kaduna Peace Agreement of Religious Leaders, IMC advocates for more community-building and dialogues for peace, using Rwanda’s nation re-building as a mirror for Nigeria’s own.
IMC uses an interfaith approach to ongoing reconciliation activities in communities, as well as supporting responsive government engagement through dialogue facilitation, mediation, and training for collaborative conflict prevention.
