Only dialogue can help us now

THE body count is soaring since the June 29, 2021 unrest. Dozens of citizens’ lives, including those of security officers, have been lost to the ongoing political impasse.

There seems to be no end in sight to this bloody trail of events, as we continue to witness rising intolerance and aggression among what is fast becoming a highly polarised society.

The past two weeks have presented the worst form of violence since the June 29 riot killings that have escalated to executions. We are repeatedly told that the country is not yet ready for dialogue due to the ongoing violence.

AMBIENCE

However, nobody can say when it will all stop to create the ambience so desired because that is simply out of the government’s control. Amid this sphere of uncertainty and the fear that has gripped the nation, the question has to be asked; who must die for there to be a justified reason to call for a ceasefire and convene the national dialogue?

Is it not asking for too much to call upon the citizens to wait with their lives, particularly when their security can no longer be guaranteed, given the unfolding division within the police service that has compromised basic policing services?

We cannot afford to wait for the ‘war’ to end before we start to talk. We believe that by talking, we can end the conflict. Let us take a leaf from other countries that have held dialogues within a war.

Most recently, Ethiopia and the Tigrayan forces have signed a truce following a two-year war that threatened to tear apart Africa’s most populous country.

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We are a small nation of one tribe, one language and one culture, with people who are closely related. These characteristics work heavily in our favour to find common ground on what we desire as a nation. However, this has to be done urgently; otherwise, the deepening polarisation will drive us to a point of no return when civil war takes reign in what could easily be Africa’s most peaceful country.