The Somali Peace Accord is a Positive Step

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Hiiraan Online Editorial

 

The peace agreement reached last week in Djibouti by the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and the Alliance of Re-liberation of Somalia is a positive step forward. Of course, this is the first step of a long and possibly treacherous reconciliation journey.

 

Insofar as the peace deal is commendable in its spirit, it does fall short of a comprehensive agreement that addresses contentious issues. In its totality, it is surreptitiously vague. Yet it is better than lack of it.

 

Hiiraan Online welcomes it as a minimal step toward forging a centrist coalition in Somalia that may encompass moderate forces of both sides, all the while isolating spoilers.

 

Leaders of the ARS who compromised steeply deserve an unqualified complement for their bravery. Recognizing this good will gesture, the international community and the United Nations should walk extra mile to strengthen the ARS by working hard to remove Ethiopian troops out of Somalia—the ARS’s key demand. Failure to do so will undoubtedly embolden the militants and potentially derail the entire peace process.

 

Djibouti and Ambassador Ahmedou Oulad-Abadallah, the UN special representative, also deserve significant credit for their remarkable contribution and diligence.

 

Even though we support the current agreement and we call upon others to do likewise, we are however concerned about the translation of the agreement into an action. Some detractors are caught-up with interpretations and the exact meanings of terms such as sufficient. Our worry has to do with the implementation prospect of the agreement. For instance, we are not certain if the TFG and the ARS are able to deliver important provisions of the accord. Two fundamental elements of the agreements are the ceasefire among the parties and the deployment of international stabilization forces replacing the Ethiopians. One faction of the Alliance had already stated that it would not abide by the terms of the current agreement, particularly the clauses pertaining to the ceasefire. We also know the withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces depends on the deployment of “sufficient” UN forces. It is not clear thus, if the international community is able or willing to tend to, in a timely fashion, the troop request of the Somali parties. Knowing that the past UN peacekeeping experience in Somalia had a bitter end and that many international hotspots such as Afghanistan and priority areas such as Dafur are short of troops, we have many reasons to be cautious.

 

In spite of these pertinent questions, Hiiraan Online believes that it is the national interest to back the peace agreement between the TFG and ARS. For one, the TFG and ARS leaders who were engaged in the actual fighting endorse the current agreement. Encouraging former combatants to opt for peace is the only sensible option, because Somalia has seen, one too many wars. Secondly, the peace agreement stipulates that Ethiopia must leave Somalia in four months time. The critics of the current peace accord are NOT offering a shorter timetable for the Ethiopian withdrawal. It is baffling to decode, to put it mildly, why the mostly Diaspora-based pro-resistance individuals are clamoring for the continuation of the war, when the men who literally led the resistance (i.e. the two Sharifs), are insisting that UN-brokered and Security Council-backed negotiated settlement is the best route to attain the agreed-upon national objectives.

 

Moreover, unlike the previous Somali reconciliation efforts where neighboring countries manipulated the process and influenced the outcome, the hallmark of the current United Nations’ peace effort seems to impartiality and allowing opposing Somalis to make peace. The fact that the Security Council and influential member states are proactively facilitating reconciliation among Somalis is a point to rejoice and a positive development. The rebuilding and rehabilitation of Somalia require the full partnership of the international community.

 

Radicalism, cynicism, rigidity and adventurism are what mired Somalia in the current political mess. This peace agreement de-inflates the prevailing, dangerous and disastrous national Somali political mindset where confrontation, rather than compromise, has become the default political position for many Somalis. The Djibouti agreement between the TFG and the ARS brings common sense to Somali politics.

 

As for those who appose the current peace accord, we inform them that Ethiopian tanks would not have been in Villa Somalia, had the political class of Somalia employed wisdom.

 

We believe the position of the average Somali is: give the peace a chance. This is the common sense position. With this peace agreement, Somalis have nothing to lose and everything to gain namely – the possible withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces, peace among Somalis and the rebuilding of Somalia.

 

Hiiraan Online commends the brave men who singed the Djibouti peace agreement and signed on to the necessary and positive political philosophy of choosing peace over war.