Personal view from Somalia

Long awaited peace

Every Somali is yearning for peace and praying for authentic leaders who understand the menace of injustice and the promise of the law of equality among citizens and who can uphold and protect the rights of each and all


By ELIAS ADAM
from Mogadishu, SOMALIA


One thing is for certain though, it is guaranteed, if we insist on continuing our current path, all will perish.

Pause and ponder for a minute. The death toll since 1990 - from the outbreak of the civil war- exceeds 3 million and is still counting. The number of internally displaced persons, the cost of destruction of property and human suffering is profound and staggering. Hardly a day goes by without heart wrenching painful Somali deaths; from drowning in the Gulf of Aden, indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, starvation in the refugee camps and among the displaced persons, slayings and other violence committed against non-combatant civilians, not to mention the countless other human grief and losses.

Yet again, in spite of our unique position in Africa as a nation of one ethnicity, faith, language and culture, we continue to be engaged in one of the most atrocious barbarity against each other. Obviously; our plight is not a manifestation of a divine punishment, or caused by violent seismic disruptions under our feet, nor is it due to a widespread affliction of an epidemic plague.

In contrast to the state of Somalia, other less congruous nations enjoy far more peaceful coexistence and prosperity. Our misfortunes are not accidental but a direct consequence of preceeding poor political judgements or actions of politicians. Apparently; the marginalization and utter neglect of certain sectors of the population or entire communities has greatley contributed to the strife in our country. Favoritism and putting the needs of one community over others is the principal cause fueling the violence. When the power and the resources of the state are put to use for rewarding close circles of clan based benefactors at the expense of everyone else, surely, seeds of distrust, conflict, and societal fragmentation, the exact conditions of Somalia today, is certain to be the only harvest. We can only harvest what we have sown.

If we are ever to wake up from this horrific nightmare; it is imperative that other men and women of better humanity with the capacity to perceive the potential of our people and that which is achievable in our country should rise and give direction. Men and women, sons and daughters in our midst, who can "show the way by going first" must lead.

Every Somali is yearning for peace and praying for authentic leaders who understand the menace of injustice and the promise of the law of equality among citizens and who can uphold and protect the rights of each and all. The principle of "universal and reciprocal recognition, where every citizen recognizes the dignity and humanity of every other citizen, and where that dignity is recognized in turn by the state through the granting of rights" is the remedy for nepotism and artificial governance. No other arrangement of human social institution is better able to satisfy the longing for peace.

Conformance with those universal principles of humanity guarantees that the calamities of war and its horrors, long and painful as they may be, will eventually give way to a state of peace and healing, because it is the nature of mankind to seek peaceful coexistence.

For preserving humanity, peace is a necessity. The Creator has engendered in man a unique ability to reason, which in its profound wisdom compels a sense of duty on all human beings to desist aggression and become master of the evil in them, while at the sametime hoping the same from others in order to maintain and safeguard peace and harmony among men. Therefore; when in a state of conflict, mankind cherishes security and has a deep longing for safety. The one thing that man loathes most is dying violent death, the assured end result of recourse to war. Hence; warfare by its very nature is an untenable evil enterprise.

Now, as Somalis, our yearning for peace is indeed genuine for we are also part of humanity, plus the long suffering we endured, achieving peace should be within our realm of possibility.

Reason to Hope:

The departure of Yusuf, the interim president of the TFG, is a positive step and a cause to celebrate. Also; though it offers favorable opportunity to hope, it admonishes an ample warning as well as lessons in choosing wisely the next president, for there is a long and difficult road ahead for healing and recovery.


(Published: 10.05.2009.)