UN told failure to deal with diversity is root cause of wars

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — One by one, South Africa’s former president listed African countries where the failure to deal with diversity was a root cause of conflict, from the Biafran war in Nigeria in the late 1960s to the current clashes in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Thabo Mbeki also cited the conflicts in Congo, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Sierra Leone and Cameroon, while France’s U.N. ambassador pointed to Africa’s Sahel region and the Mideast. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday the message is that poor management of diversity threatens international peace and security.