Church leader calls out for helping hands to push for peace

A PASTOR with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Morobe Mission in Lae, is appealing to the public and government agencies to help negotiate lasting peace among the people of Amari and Atzera in Markham.
The call comes after a tribal clash between the Amari and Atzera tribes in April 2016 which saw 10 people killed.
Until then, there had been nothing positive done by any authorities, public or private sectors in order to bring peace among the people, resulting in people from both tribes living in fear.
SDA Pastor Philip Mavo told The National yesterday that no-one at this stage was showing interest in negotiating for peace.
“It is very sad as lives of people from both tribes are at great risk when they’re moving around,” he said. “We have to do something quickly rather than prolonging the peace ceremony as anything may happen.”
Mavo said during the clash, he was the one standing between the opposing tribes and trying to bring peace.
Now he is trying to bring peace through a reconciliation ceremony. “People from the Atzera tribe has agreed for a peace reconciliation so I have to sit with leaders from Amari to get their consent in order to drive the initiative forward through support from both sides and interested parties,” he said
“If only there is a peace ceremony and confessions made publically from both sides, there will not be a lasting peace and people will continue to live in fear.”
HE called on the public, government agencies, the provincial government and business houses to provide support for a peace ceremony.
A date for the peace ceremony will be set after both parties agree to it.