ASIA/INDIA - Peace blooms in the Northeast, thanks to the help of the Church

Guwahati (Agenzia Fides) – The mediation encouraged by the Catholic Church in the Northeast of India, to defuse a bitter conflict between the Rabha and Garo tribal groups, is bearing its fruit, to the great satisfaction of the local government and civil society.
Fides' local sources, the Ecumenical Joint Peace Team - Northeast, led by Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, very experienced in the mediation of conflicts, has found the right formula to bring down the tensions and provide a way forward towards reconciliation. Territorial claims between the two tribal groups living on the border of the Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya were about to escalate into armed conflict. This was precipitated by several months of spiralling reciprocal violence, with acts of vandalism, damage to houses and crops, and killing of livestock. The intervention by the peace team has avoided a civil war.
“First of all we needed to work to reduce the anger and resentment present in their respective communities; secondly we tried to teach them gestures and behaviours that could help restore trust,” the Archbishop told Fides. Archbishop Menamparampil then promoted meetings with the leaders of the two groups in Damra, Assam, then in Mendipathar, Meghalaya. With the active cooperation of other Christians, like Baptists, they were willing to abandon the conflict and restore the peaceful relationship. The Church groups also offered assistance for the repair of damages and the families which fled because of the tension are now able to return.
The Archbishop said: “It was of primary importance to help to restore a climate of mutual trust, which is at the heart of any social rebuilding and rehabilitation work. This exercise benefited from the experience of the Archbishop, who is a person well-liked by all the tribal leaders and that in the past, on at least six other occasions of local conflicts, reported positive results of peace.
A crucial step towards reconciliation of the whole region occurred on 24 February last year, when many civil society organizations in the Northeast held a big “Peace Initiative", which was attended by over a thousand people from various tribal groups, in which local authorities undertook to ensure the return of all internally displaced persons, victims of various conflicts that have affected the region. Significant help to these families will also be guaranteed by the local priests in Guwahati and Tura. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 1/3/2011)