Bahir Dar – The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Louise Mushikiwabo, has said there is no wrong or right model on managing diversity for peace and security in Africa. She was speaking at the High Level Forum on Security in Africa which took place in city of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, from April 14-15.She was representing President Kagame at the Forum, and was accompanied by Maj. Patrick Karuretwa, the Defence and Security Advisor, Office of the President.“There is no wrong or right model about managing diversity, every model that a country chooses to manage diversity has its merits as long as it is determined and owned by the people of that nation” she told delegates. Mushikiwabo further added that in the Rwandan ‘model’ every citizen is allowed to celebrate their identity but there are clear limits that forbid one to use their identity to harm others. The High Level Forum on Security in Africa attracted more than 100 participants who included seating Heads of State – Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Sharif Sheikh of Somalia, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, as well as the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi. Former Heads of State present included Thabo Mbeki (South Africa), Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), and Luisa Diogo former Prime Minister of Mozambique. Also present were senior representatives of non-governmental organisations, regional and international organisations, private sector, civil society as well as global security actors.The Forum will be an annual event focusing on prevailing peace and security issues on the continent.It brings together a select group of leaders, including Heads of State and Government, African and Global eminent personalities, Chief Executive Officers of private sector companies, civil society and think tanks to discuss topical peace and security challenges on the continent.This year’s inaugural forum, which was chaired by Obasanjo, focused on two sub-themes: “State Fragility and the Prospects of Peace in Africa”, and “Managing Diversity to Promote Peace and Stability”
