Its all or Nothing for this conference

[rudy-Diiriye]

Somali Peace Rally (Mogadishu)

 

PRESS RELEASE

16 July 2007

Posted to the web 16 July 2007

 

Mogadishu

 

While expressing concern about the recent increases in the violence and reiterating calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Somalia, The SPR welcomes the inauguration of National Reconciliation Congress.

 

Somali Peace Rally (SPR) calls on The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and all those progressive political and social forces to open a real dialogue in order to set in motion a dynamic for peace process giving back hope to the Somali people.

 

 

In seventeen years-long civil war, the lack of clear vision for Somali nationhood has caused massive socio-economic dislocation, meaningless human rights abuses and other injustices and the erosion of the traditional norms’ capacity for internal security maintenance. The factors that could be attributed to the current complex situation are among others: systemic problems of political access, social injustice and repression, tragic events of relative deprivation, zero-sum thinking and tribalism igniting open conflicts characterized by extreme levels of moral exclusion, and weakening of traditional normative consensus.

 

Relevant Links

 

East Africa

Conflict, Peace and Security

Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution

Somalia

 

 

 

Therefore, Somali political actors including religious leaders should demonstrate a positive, pragmatic and conciliatory approach in discussing present challenges as well as matters relating to long-term solutions. They should put the pasts of violence and estrangement behind them. In the short and medium terms, the peace process must concentrate in keeping the communication channels open, and giving all clans a sense of security while appealing to a deep seeded sense of Somali nationhood.

 

The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) should promote transparent and accountable governance. Creating a national, apolitical army out of the various armed groups and competent police able to handle urban disorder peacefully and provide genuine security is central to achieving stability. Lasting peace requires genuine political will to tackle impunity by vetting police and army officers and to establish trustful institutions.

 

The way forward is to set out a vision for true reconciliation, redress in its broadest sense healing, to establish accountable governance and effective conciliatory institutions, and to improve political access mechanism. The government must allow the opposition and institutions - parliament, and press - to do their jobs in accountable manner. Peace-building can be powerful deterrent to current division and conflict.