Peace Stories
April 2003
Banner photo: Nara, Japan [©SEKAI BUNKA PHOTO]
Humanitarian Assistance in Côte d'Ivoire
SGI-Côte d'Ivoire General Director Deazon (center) presents relief supplies to a government representative.
Since an attempted coup in Côte d'Ivoire in September 2002, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands have fled the country. Although peace talks in Paris attended by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and West African leaders at the end of January concluded with a draft agreement, the country is still facing an unpredictable and dangerous situation.
During this time, SGI-Côte d'Ivoire members, who number more than 7,000, have been striving to advance peace through dialogue. They have also been involved in humanitarian efforts: donating three tons of rice and medical supplies, distributing food to refugees, contributing to a fund-raiser to send war orphans to school and working as volunteers.
On October 27, 2002, a total of 3,000 members gathered in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire's capital, and prayed for the earliest possible resolution of the conflict and the repose of the war dead. General Director André Deazon and women's leader Martine Deazon asserted that peace can be constructed from one's immediate environment. They called on everyone present to deepen their friendships based on a spirit of tolerance and compassion, stressing that hatred can be eradicated through dialogue.
