The "Paths of Peace" meeting, which is promoted by Sant'Egidio, is taking place in Münster. During this conference, the President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, denounced the social inequalities that are afflicting his country. Specifically, these disparities are the crossroads and starting point of migration toward Europe. "Nowadays, the deepest cause of conflicts that shake the world is inequality. Hence, the difference between rich and poor countries but also disparity within the same nation."
After recalling how many millions of women and children do not have access to schooling, healthcare, and clean water, Issoufou analyzed the second cause of dispute, which is intolerance. "Cultures are enriched when they blend. If we want to build bridges and not walls, we must accept that the other is different. A closed culture, which refuses to be enriched by contributions from the outside, goes hand in hand with dogmatism and intolerance." Issoufou concluded by saying that dogmatism is always dangerous because it leads to terrorism.
Moreover, the African leader remembered Sant'Egidio's help to his country when it was shaken by a political and institutional crisis, as well as its commitment to peace in the Central African Republic. "I pay tribute to the irreplaceable work of the Community of Sant'Egidio for its brave initiatives in support of dialogue and mutual understanding between distant and separated individuals."
