NELSON MANDELA: THE ONLY MAN WHO CAN RESCUE THE MIDDLE EAST.

In the past three weeks, the world has watched with revulsion, the slaughter going on in the Middle East, in Israel and Lebanon to be precise. Since this piece is meant to counsel on ways towards finding lasting peace, moot issues would be left out. However, the basic facts need to be established. Hezbollah triggered the recent chain of events. Second, Israel has been too heavy handed in her response. I do not need to go beyond this for the reason mentioned.

I have the unfortunate chance to have experienced a war in my life time. The experience is something that cannot be fully conveyed in words. Words are, after all, symbols used to relate our inner most feelings. Some of these feelings are so shocking and inexplicable that words only scratch the surface. Whenever I read or watch reports about conflicts I feel traumatized. War should never and must not be encouraged or applauded. Though the bitterness that prevails during conflicts tends to thaw with time, the impressions last a life time.

The war I am talking about is the Nigerian civil war, 1967-1970. Whenever I hear the sound of fighter planes, the memories that come to mind are such that I still have nightmares. I do not wish anyone the ill luck of living through a war, no matter how short lived. Wars force children to grow into adults overnight and if care is not taken, the emotive aspects that distinguish us as human beings might be lost for ever as far as the kids are concerned. Most adults impacted by wars come out of it scarred for life. Permit me to relate an experience that still haunts me to this day.

I recall, vividly, sleeping in the bush with a corpse besides us when I was just ten years old. The dead man had died from injuries sustained from stray bullets and no one dared making any move to isolate the cadaver or else we would give out our location. This was not an isolated occurrence. It was a recurring decimal as long as the war lasted. Additionally, we wake up in the morning and embark on aimless journeys to avoid, real and imaginary, attacks from the opposing forces. Can you imagine fleeing without any destination? It was not unusual for children to walk tens of miles in a day. The adults were too fatigued and hungry to physically assist their offspring.

The situation in Israel and Lebanon, though a shame on how far man has evolved, presents a unique opportunity for lasting peace in that part of the world, and by extension for humanity. The question is who can initiate the process and sort out the mess. In my opinion, most countries in the world cannot be seen as or pretend to be impartial in the lingering problems of the region. Over the years, in one way or the other, willingly or unwillingly, countries have taken positions and acted in ways that exclude them from the list of real impartial umpires by the parties.

Arriving at a peace in the region would entail forgiveness, reconciliation, compromise and paradigm shifts. I shall allude to some facts – without alienating the protagonists on either side – prerequisite to holding peace talks. Israel has come to stay and any thought of wiping out the state is a delusion. This fact must be impressed on anyone who wants peace on the Arab side. Equally, it will never be possible to wipe out Hezbollah and its comrades by military force. It is more of an idea than an organization. Defeating them on the battlefield would never guarantee peace. In effect, the ideas fuelling the groups are most likely to sprout under a new name. Therefore, unless a comprehensive peace is achieved, we should expect uproars in the area every decade. The Israelis have to come to terms with this fact.

As things stand now, the world would benefit from the intervention of Nelson Mandela. He has the moral authority and international stature to resolve the issues at stake. He has been through it all. Most of us witnessed how Mandela exhibited attitudes conspicuous by their absence in our world. Put differently, Mandela never insisted on his pound of flesh with the perpetrators and linchpins of the infamous apartheid system in South Africa. His one term presidency in South Africa, coming at the heels of the end of the worst oppression of a people in their homeland, did not reveal any iota of revenge or bitterness.

To put the issue in greater perspective, what would be reaction if the same injustice were meted out in another part of the planet with the present world mindset? I can imagine the struggle by different commentators to cry loudest for justice to be served. If that path had been chosen, South Africa would obviously have been a breeding ground for future unrests. It is not too much to suggest that Nelson Mandela’s leadership played an immense role in the outcome.

As such, the world stands to benefit if Nelson Mandela is persuaded to step in and take the bulls by their horns. No one can pretend that the present events in the Middle East have not impacted most parts of the globe. I volunteer my service to be part of the process. What is needed is a simple United Nations General Assembly vote for the process to commence. The greatest mistake will be to involve the Security Council alone. Let us have a general vote. The vote should be on the question “Do you support mandating Nelson Mandela to negotiate a lasting peace in the Middle East?” Seeming complicated issues tend to have very simple solutions.