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Gandhiji’s legacy relevant to Darfur, says African Union

DUBAI: The crisis in Darfur and Mahatma Gandhi’s message of non-violence got uniquely intertwined on the occasion of the first International Day of Non-Violence which was observed globally.

At the headquarters of the African Union Commission (AUC) in Addis Ababa, a gathering of around 200 diplomats, Permanent Representatives of various countries, Ethiopian academics, priests and members of the Indian community observed a minute’s silence in memory of the African peacekeepers who were killed in Darfur over the week-end. At least 10 peacekeepers died when the Haskanita base camp in Darfur was attacked on September 29-30.

Deputy Chairperson of the AUC Patrick Mazhimaka drew attention to the killings in Darfur and the relevance of Gandhian ideals, particularly non-violence, to defuse the crisis there.

India’s permanent representative to the AUC, Gurjit Singh thanked member countries for their support in the UN General Assembly where a resolution to observe the International Day of Non-Violence had been passed. The AUC has decided to install a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in its premises. Wracked by violence in Iraq and Palestine and with a military threat looming over Iran, the International Day of Non-Violence received considerable attention among Arab scholars in West Asia. Speaking at a seminar in Bahrain, Mohammed Al Ghatam of the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research said Mahatma Gandhi’s message was especially relevant in the light of the “violent campaign by the so-called Islamic terrorists and extreme marginal groups,” in the region.

In Abu Dhabi, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan observed at an Indian embassy function that the occasion was a reminder about the “futility of violence as a means for attaining peace”.

A commentary in the pro-Palestinian, Palestine Chronicle pointed to the urgency of basing protests against all forms of oppression on Gandhian principles.

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