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by Abdulkadir Mohamed - Ato
Monday, June 16, 2008
Due to email responses, reactions both positive and negative, criticism and suggestions to my last article titled: Accountability: the omitted piece from the peace deal that was published on some Somali sites, I decided to do a follow up on the subject of accountability and all that is related as impunity and amnesty. Some suggested we should forget and forgive and let bygones be bygones. They suggested that since a lot of people were involved in some ways the tragedy in Somalia that we should grant amnesty to the warlords who make part of the transitional government. Others asked about the starting-point and time-frame of any accountability in Somalia.
For those who choose to either miss or not recognize the central argument of my article was that the parties of the Djibouti peace deal, the international mediators and the United Nations representatives who were observing signatories to the Djibouti deal choose, intentionally or not, to exclude provisions that would define, identify and arraign those who were/ are responsible for the monstrous crimes committed against the Somali people during the civil war and during the illegal Ethiopian occupation of Somalia. By omitting or deferring this important stipulation from any peace deal won’t augur any genuine reconciliation and sustainable peace in Somalia.
Coincidentally, an interview given by Sheikh Sharif to BBC Somali Service, confirmed the deferral of the accountability issue to later meetings and deals. I was impressed by the young caller from Gaalkacyo who with methodical thoroughness and exceptional eloquence questioned the good sheikh on the subject of accountability among other things.
In his responses, Sheikh Sharif repeated that, if (that is big IF) the peace deal is implemented by all concerned parties, the deferred issues of accountability, power sharing and security would be discussed in later meetings. The good Sheikh forgets that most of Somalis, after so many letdowns by previous peace conferences, don’t have the luxury of blind optimism. It is convenient for a popular leader to comfort desperate and war-weary people and tell them things would get better with rosy words.
It is admirable that Sheikh Sharif assures us of a lot of good things to come from the peace deal but the onus of putting the ambiguous peace deal into practice rests with the International Community and the UN in forcing the Ethiopians to withdraw. What is needed from Sheikh Sharif and other decent Somali leaders though is to set in motion a way to identify and prosecute the warlords who instigated and committed all the horrific crimes against the Somali people during the past two decades.
Accountability, not impunity or amnesty, would serve as a strong deterrent to future warlords (which Somalia has a lot waiting in the lines) and would allow the grieving and abused Somalis to at least obtain a redress and maybe abate the urge for further vicious retribution. There shouldn’t be amnesty given to warlords and factions who were responsible for the horrendous war crimes in Somalia. If the warlords, clan militias and factions are not hold accountable, we would be telling future warlords that it is not only acceptable to kill and destroy but that is the way to power and wealth in Somalia. We would also be telling the victims of the warlord violence no one cares of their pain and suffering.
Impunity and amnesty would not bring lasting peace to Somalia and would mean more violence and destruction.
Abdulkadir Mohamed - Ato
E-mail: abaadir0@gmail.com