He added that top researchers would encourage young South Africans to stay and contribute to the country . Akankwasa, a lecturer in the School of Education, said that the Christian church, Catholic and Anglican together, would have been a strong voice for the oppressed. But, he said, the two denominations often acted in competition for privileges. Once in a while, the Anglican and the Catholic Church act together. The meeting at Colline Hotel Mukono is placing special emphasis on the armed conflict in the DR Congo.
Participants are from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
He criticised the peace brokers, specifically South Africa, who he said are double faced. He said that much as former S. African President Nelson Mandela was a pacifist, his country had greatly contributed to turmoil in the Great Lakes region by way of export of arms. Opening the meeting,, Mrs. Margaret Ssekaggya, the Human Rights Commission chairperson, emphasised the importance of the church in peace building. She said the institution's impartiality and credibility were useful tools for diffusing conflicts. Ssekaggya criticised the Lord's Resistance Army, which she said was causing suffering when it had no political agenda.