Participants during a workshop session on peacebuilding and conflict
resolution mechanisms in Mogadishu, Somalia on May 7, 2017. Somalia can
benefit from the experiences of countries such as Rwanda, which deployed
traditional methods of justice and reconciliation to address the
aftermath of the catastrophic conflict between communities that resulted
in genocide. PHOTO | AMISOM
Somalia is making modest progress in rebuilding after the
destruction wrought by decades of civil war, but the agenda of
grassroots truth, justice and reconciliation is not receiving the
attention it deserves.
The civil war not only
precipitated the meltdown of state institutions and destruction of
infrastructure and the economy, but also the unravelling of the social
and cultural fabric.
Without a comprehensive plan to
rebuild the shattered trust and goodwill and address deep-seated
grievances between individuals, families and communities at the
grassroots, reconstruction will not be sustainable.
Somalia
is one of the few countries in Africa with a homogenous population that
shares language, religion, bloodlines and culture, but the widespread
violence, human-rights violations and injustices during the civil war
exacerbated social divisions and disharmony, mainly along clan lines.
Until
now, not much has been done to repair those relationships, build
bridges and address underlying grievances, thus eliminating common
spaces for dialogue, accommodation and coexistence.
There
have been many conferences since the early 1990s, ostensibly to bring
about reconciliation between segments of the Somali population, but they
have hardly had any impact in the grassroots.
This is
partly because the initiatives have largely been dominated by
politicians and clan leaders, including warlords, without much
involvement of the people in the grassroots, who should be the main
drivers of such initiatives. In fact, the conferences have been more
about power-sharing between clan leaders than fostering genuine
grassroots truth, justice and reconciliation.
The
searing impact of the Somali civil war has been so widespread that it is
difficult to find a Somali national who is not nursing deep-seated
grievance and trauma due to the killing of loved ones or loss of
property or dignity. That’s why the time for Somalia to have its own
indigenous process of truth, justice and reconciliation is long overdue.
The
process will give safe spaces for people to explore the full extent of
the crimes and violations that occurred in the civil war and continue to
occur, come to terms with the pain, anger and grief as well as look
into appropriate avenues of justice, compensation, forgiveness and
reconciliation.
I have always felt the need for such a
process, and a personal tragedy in September 2014 strengthened my
conviction regarding it. I was in a restaurant in Mogadishu when a man
approached me and unexpectedly confessed to having been part of the gang
that attacked my home in Mogadishu in 1992 in which my 18-month-old
daughter, Yasmin, was brutally killed.
The man then
remorsefully begged for my forgiveness, saying the matter had troubled
him for many years. Initially, I felt so much anger, with memories of
the body of my lifeless daughter flooding my mind. I felt like killing
him on the spot to avenge my daughter.
But after some
moments of silence, I felt some calm return to my heart. I then told him
I had forgiven him. The man hugged me and we both couldn’t hold back
tears. Immediately after the incident, I felt as if a huge weight had
been lifted off my shoulders. I felt whole again.
When
the incident was reported by local media, similar actions emerged in
various parts of the country. Since then, I have been keen to use that
personal story with a hope of promoting grassroots reconciliation in
Somalia.
However, there is a pressing need for a more
structured process at the grassroots to realise truth, justice and
reconciliation so that the Somali nationals can explore the dark past
together and come to terms with it. Any such process should not be led
or controlled by politicians or clan leadership, but by the people
without interference and manipulation.
In this regard,
Somalia can benefit from the experiences of countries such as Rwanda,
which deployed traditional methods of justice and reconciliation to
address the aftermath of the catastrophic conflict between communities
that resulted in genocide.
Somalia, too, has rich traditional and religious systems that can be tapped to successfully rebuild the shattered social fabric.
Before the country can take its place in the community of nations, it must bravely face and address the horrors of its history.
Mohamed
Ali Nur (Americo) is a former presidential candidate in Somalia (2017)
and former Somalia envoy to Kenya (2007-2015). Email: nabad1012@gmail.com
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