Two Quotes, Two Events, Two Somali Cities That Need Healing From a Miserable Past...

[Samsung]

By Mohamed Nus

 

A rough draft, on a piece that will be broaden, deepened, and perfected. Healing a nation, though the principles of Restorative Justice by looking beyond the blur created to complicate the root problems of Somalia, that still stand to be fully addressed, understood, and taken head on.

 

"We should not lie about history, nor should we be married to it, we should rather learn from our past mistakes and improve our society as a whole"

 

The above quote speaks to all of us and specially to Somalis in Northwest Somalia. The criminal violations of the Somali governments bombardment of our second capital city has caused irreversible pain, anger, and frustration. The crime of 88 is a violation of people and interpersonal relationships. The wounds are fresh like it happened yesterday, and the memory is ever present with the statue flying high in downtown Hargeysa. 20 years of isolation was a cry for help. Attempting to seek statehood to heal is a falsehood driven by an elite who themselves made the shame of 88 possible by putting innocent Somali civilians in Hargeysa at the center of a major war. To heal from this tragic event,the victims are of special concern to restorative justice.

 

Victims often feel ignored and neglected, and their needs are not met. For the wounds to start to heal, four things must be made available to the victims. First information, as victims need answers to questions they have about the offense - why it happened and what has happened since. They need real information, not speculation or constrained information that comes from SNM. Securing real information usually requires direct or in direct access to offenders who hold this information.

 

Second Truth-telling an important element in healing or transcending the experience of crime is an opportunity to tell the story of what happened. It is often important for victims to be able to retell this many times. There are good therapeutic reasons for this. Part of the trauma of crime is the way it upsets our views of ourselves and our world, our life-stories. Transcendence of these experiences means re-storying our lives by telling the stories in significant settings, often where they can receive public acknowledgment. Often, too it is important for victims to tell their stories to the ones who caused the harm and to have them understand the impact of their actions.

 

Third empowerment victims often feel like control has been taken away from them by the offenses they've experience-control over their properties their bodies, their emotions, their dreams. Involvement, understanding of their blight is an important way to return a sense of empowerment to them.

 

Fourth restitution or vindication by the Somali government will be important to these victims. Sometimes because of the actual losses but just as important, because of the symbolic recognition restitution implies. When any entity, whether, individual, cooperation or government makes an effort to make right the harm, even if only partially, it is a way of saying "We are taking responsibility, and you are not to blame. Beyond restitution victims have a even more basic need, the need for vindication. I am convinced that it is a basic need that we all have when we are treated unjustly. Restitution is one of a number of ways of meeting this need to even the score, Apology may also contribute to this need to have one's harm recognized.

 

"No xaq no peace" = Don't make dua or pray in looted properties expecting the return of real peace. What's needed throughout Somalia and specially in our capital city of Mogadishu is restorative justice. Peace is not justice nor is it xaq but a time to start the healing process of an entire nation. It is a time to take steps forward beyond 2012 not an opportunity to utter "Xamar ana leh" the failed mentality of the 90s that is responsible for the status quo. It is a time to reflect on a miserable resent history, and understand the obligations to put right the wrongs.

[burahadeer]

.....Attmpting to seek statehood to heal is a falsehood driven by an elite who themselves made the shame of 88 possible by putting innocent Somali civilians in Hargeysa at the center of a major war. To heal from this tragic event,the victims are of special concern to restorative justice."""

 

 

Perpetrators still denying the massacre in the north.Getova,we healed with 20yrs of peace & great strides forward.Documentary of what happened is aired on somaliland TV every week, just a reminder.We not expecting honest discussion here & there..go your own way & deal with what's at hand...the crisis in somalia!

 

BTW, SNM is the populace,everyone was fighting,men,women,children and diaspora with their cash.It's not few colonels as you trying to project and paint them evil.Siyad's propaganda machine couldn't work & absurdity as such here is laughed off.

[Samsung]

Burahadeer I am headed to Northwest Somalia and other parts of the motherland for three months starting in June on a data collection research.

 

As for your comment, let's put the cuqdad aside and start the healing process.

 

As I have stated the victims of that tragedy need real information, not speculation or constrained propaganda information intended to build up hate rather than heal. Why else would the local administration there, show half truth, half lie documentary of what happened in 88 aired on somaliland TV every week, for the last decade or so. Isn't that a little sick to re-play a single one sided documentary non-stop for 54 weeks a year?

 

Truth-telling an important element in healing or transcending the experience of crime is an opportunity to tell the story of what happened. It is often important for victims to be able to retell this many times. There are good therapeutic reasons for this. Part of the trauma of crime is the way it upsets our views of ourselves and our world, our life-stories. Transcendence of these experiences means re-storying our lives by telling the stories in significant settings, often where they can receive public acknowledgment. Often, too it is important for victims to tell their stories to the ones who caused the harm and to have them understand the impact of their actions.

[Samsung]

If love is blind, I assume hate is deaf, & blind.

[burahadeer]

Samsung;822241 wrote:

Burahadeer I am headed to Northwest Somalia and other parts of the motherland for three months starting in June on a data collection research.

 

As for your comment, let's put the cuqdad aside and start the healing process.

 

As I have stated the victims of that tragedy need real information, not speculation or constrained propaganda information intended to build up hate rather than heal. Why else would the local administration there, show half truth, half lie documentary of what happened in 88 aired on somaliland TV every week, for the last decade or so. Isn't that a little sick to re-play a single one sided documentary non-stop for 54 weeks a year?

 

 

One sided documentary??!! haha whose otha side you want? the ones who destroyed entire cities from the air & ground.

Have you eva seen anyone of thm admit the crimes commited except the usual defense mechanism SNM started this or that which no one buys or cares to except thmslvs.

this subject been around for longer period of time & no where did I see someone come forward & admit guilt except inflame the situation with name calling & denials.What happened is known to people ova there,they don't need anyone to tell thm else...remember it's been only 20yrs & most survivors r still alive.

[Samsung]

Okay

 

We should not lie about history, nor should we be married to it, we should rather learn from our past mistakes and improve our society as a whole

[Wiil Cusub]

Burahadeer I am headed to

Northwest Somalia

and other parts of the motherland for three months starting in June on a data collection research.

As long as you are using Northwest Somalia instead of Somaliland, your research will never be rational, and un-rational data collection will never give any scientific conclusion just time wasting.

[Samsung]

Wiil Cusub;822646 wrote:

As long as you are using

Northwest Somalia

instead of Somaliland, your research will never be rational, and un-rational data collection will never give any scientific conclusion just time wasting.

In the rational world we deal with facts and reality. I don't recognize the unrecognized.