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by Abdi-Noor Mohamed
Friday, July 31, 2009
When the only right a person has is the right to die from hunger and disease or get killed with impunity by rival factions, it is impossible to speak about peace and human rights. To get peace nationwide, justice should be put in place. Unless war criminals belonging to different tribal, political and religious factions are brought to justice there will be no hope of to have peace in Somalia.
A semblance of peace could be attained but shall never be sustainable for a period of time. If we are seeking peace without justice, then we are fooling ourselves. the drama of the Somali war will continue longer than anyone can imagine and at any stage of the war, new actors will emerge taking up the sword against each other, to shed the blood of the innocent. To find a solution for the Somali problem, we should get out of the current conflict box and embark on a new visionary direction to restore peace to the motherland. Here is where I think we should start: Justice first, peace next.
Peace is the soil on which stability grows
But without justice there shall be no peace
I do not know why we expect rain
When we have no clouds on the sky
Peace is the bedrock of a nation’s existence
But without justice there shall be no peace
I do not know why we dream of peace
When we take sides between peace killers
Reconciliation is a gateway to settle disputes
But without truth reconciliation is a wishful dream
I don’t know why the world is wasting its money
When reconciliation talks lack a substance of truth
Unity is the force that pulls a nation to the centre
But without TRUST unity can never be obtained
That is why peace is bleeding in the alleys of war
I don’t know why we speak of forging peace
When we defy the logical sequence of getting peace
Abdi-Noor Mohamed
Writer and Filmmaker
University of Växjö
Department of Peace
Sweden
[email protected]