Colombian Peace Process

I recently participated an event organised by Nansen Centre for peace and dialogue held in Nobel Peace centre in Oslo. The event was about Colombian peace process and forgiveness and was invited Bertha Lucia Fries a victim of bomb attack in Bogotá. I found her a very courageous person with a great heart.

On February 7 2003, Bertha Lucia Fries became victim of terror attack in a private social club in Bogotá while she was taking her dance lesson. In that bomb attack performed by FARC group killed 36 people and 150 injured including Ms B. L. Fries. At the beginning she has been suffocated by the pain and never thought to forgive, even because before that accident she was a successful consultant.

It took her long and painful eight years to recover from her physical injuries, and then, she realized there was more to repair: The hatred. She managed to have a dialogue with FARC members, most of them young men, and she realised that they too were victims by killing people and also killing themselves.

She has been accused by some people including her family and friends of suffering Syndrome of Stockholm by having empathy with those young men and women from the rebel group.

Bertha started to find an answer, “why?”, “why that attack and why in that place which was not that important”. Later she found the answer that she was looking for, but she did not want to share with us, she told us that she forgave her attackers, she also told us that after the forgiveness she found the best thing in her life “Inner Peace”.

Now Bertha Lucia Fries is well respected peace promoter and she is part of the reconciliation team in her country. After 52 years of civil war, Colombia now is about to turn a corner to start a new era of peace process and reconciliation.

This story reminds me the story of  the South African lady who met and forgave the man who killed her daughter. This shows also without dialogue, forgiveness and conciliation, peace is impossible.

After that event, I asked myself if one day I would be able to tell the story of many Somali Bertha Fries or Ginn Fourie who I am sure that they exist but are anonymous to the wider audience.

Cabdiraxmaan Maxamed Abtidoon

SAFARKAYGII XAMAR

Bartamihii bishii agoost ayaa waxaa ii yimid email ay wasaaradda Arrimaha Gudaha, Federaalka iyo Dib-u-heshiisiintu igu martiqaadday in aan ka qeybgalo shirweyne looga wada tashanayo qaxootiga dib u soo noqonaya iyo barakacayaasha sidii xal waara loogu heli lahaa. Markaan aqbalay martiqaadkaa, isdiyaarin yar kadib waxaan ka mid ahaa ergooyin ka kala yimid meelo kala geddisan oo 27kii agoost isugu yimid Muqdisho oo uu shirka ka socday ilaa 30kii bisha, kaasoo ahaa mid si weyn loo abaabulay wasaaradda iyo Hayadda Qaxootiga Qarankuna ay xil weyn iska saareen. Kadib waxaan fursad u helay in aan magaalad dhex galo oo aan goobo badan tago arkana isbadallada ku dhacay tan iyo goortii iigu dambeysay oo ahayd harraantii 2015.

Isbadel weyn oo horumar ayaan soo arkay dhanka nabadgelyada, dhismaha iyo weliba ilaalinta sharciga oo aan tusaale u soo qaadan karo waddada Maka Al Mukarrama oo hareeraheeda gaadiid fara badan la dhigan jiray kaasoo saxmada baabuurta ka sokow dhanka nabadgelyada halis ku ahaa.

Tan iyo markii la mamnuucay dhigashada baabuurta waxaad arkeysaa gaadiidka wax jiida ee boolisku inay gaafwareegayaan waddadaas iyo kuwa kaleba baabuurkii halkaa looga tagana codbaahiye looga baaqayo, in yar kadibna la jiidayo haddaan la qaadin.

Goobaha aan booqday waxaa ka mid ah xarumaha Jaamacadda Ummadda ee KM4 iyo Shabeelle oo ay nagu qaabileen masuuliyiinta qeybaha kala geddisan ee jaamacadda ee uu ugu horreeyo guddoomiyaha Jimcaale, hormuudka kulliyadda waxbarashada Dr. Fawsiya iyo saraakiil sarsare oo runtii aan ku amaani karo dadaalka ay geliyeen iyo horumarka halkaa ka socda.

  Intii aan Xamar joogay waxaa soo maray laba dhacdo oo muran dhalisay taasoo ay ugu weynayd nin ay dawladdu u gacan gelisay Itoobiya oo goobaha lagu kulmo aad looga hadal hayey dadkuna aad arkeysay in ay aad uga xumaayeen, hase yeeshee aan waxba ka baddelin mowqifka dadweynaha ee ku aaddan rabitaanka dawladeed.

Akademiyadda Fanka Cilmiga iyo Suugaanta ayaan sidoo kale booqday madaxda akademiyadda ee uu ugu horreeyo guddoomiye Maax ayaan halkaa kula kulmay dhismihii akademiyadda oo qeybo ballaaran dib loo dayac tiray laguna shaqeeyo ayaan soo arkay.

Dariiqu weli wuu dheer yahay, caqabado bandanna way jiraan, laakiin waxaa cad in toddobadii sano ee ugu dambeeyey ay magaaladu horumar weyn  ku tallaabsatay kadib markii ay si buuxda gacanta dawladda u soo gashay, dadka iskood u shaqeysta ee gudaha iyo kuwa dibedda ka yimidna ay heleen fursad ay ku maalgashadaan. Waxaa xusid mudan in wixii ka horreeyey 2011 ay si buuxda magaaladu ugu jirtay gacanta kooxaha la dirira dawladda.

Cabdiraxmaan Maxamed Abtidoon