BELEDWEYNE, Somalia — On a quiet afternoon suddenly shaken by controversy, a firestorm of debate has erupted across Somalia. A former governor has lit the fuse with a bold suggestion: civilians dwelling in the shadows of Al-Shabaab’s influence should be held accountable for, in his words, “abetting” terror in the tumultuous Horn of Africa.

With a heart set as hard as diamonds, Jayte Ali Osman, who once presided over Hiiraan, proposed an unsettling idea. It’s high time, he claims, for civilians in Al-Shabaab’s grip to shoulder the blame. “Are they not part and parcel of the very machine terrorizing our innocent?” he asked, with more than a hint of accusation, shaking his head as if to cast off the confusing clouds of skepticism surrounding his logic.

Osman’s words sent ripples not just through rhetoric but impacted policy circles, especially when spoken in the solemn company of seasoned military brass from the Hiiraan region. His calling seemed to reach for the echoes of history, when turmoil demanded scapegoats and loyalties were questioned at every dawn.

“May Allah show no mercy to those who spare them,” Osman passionately declared, a statement as heavy as lead, staggering in its implication for the innocent yet entrenched in Al-Shabaab territories. While his words were spoken with conviction, they did not sit comfortably with everyone present, leaving listeners to ponder the potential chaos such an approach could unleash.

Jayte, a man with a chin as sharp as his tactics, has always been known for his iron grip against Al-Shabaab, investing sweat equity in the fight against them in the heartlands. Since his rather unceremonious downfall, orchestrated by the shrewd moves of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, his voice still echoes in the political theatre, a vestige of his undeterred resolve.

Yet, what price must we pay for safety? A chorus of analysts cautions about a slippery slope. Such a chilling strategy, they warn with furrowed brows, may very well unravel the threads holding together Somalia’s fragile government. Could implicating civilians lead to unburdened chaos, their voices tremble with concern.

In a country as fractured as Somali bone china, torn apart by clan loyalties and distrust thicker than thieves’, is the government truly willing to tiptoe the line of war crimes?

Haybe Ali, a respected political and security analyst with eyes as sharp as an eagle, poses the question that has resonated deeply with the people. “When trust is absent, like a ghost in broad daylight, can any move against civilians lead to anything but ruin?” he muses. “Our history is littered with past missteps, a fearscape of failed governance.”

His weary voice impels us to consider: Isn’t it an obligation to remind those in power that harm to the innocent, already shackled by circumstance, solves nothing? Once-majestic lands, scarred, only stand to be further pillaged by shortsighted aggression.

Elsewhere in the world, wisdom often dictates that civilians are whisked to safety before conflict erupts like a volcano. The guardians of order should first defend the defenseless. But who defends them when accountability is lost amidst chaos?