The leaders' apologies heal the wounds of the people and disarm the rebels

A woman hugs the head of the Truth Commission in Colombia.

From the source

When leaders apologize openly to the people, such apologies calm the people's rebellion and open the doors for dialogue with the leaders.

In March, for example, German leader Angela Merkel asked her people to forgive her decision to shut down the country for five days to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and then quickly reversed that decision because of Easter.

In Iraq, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi set the first precedent in his country, after he met a boy who had been tortured by government forces.

Al-Kazemi expressed his pain over the violations, and indicated that the perpetrators would be prosecuted, and promised to end such practices, as he pledged to turn what happened "into a source of strength that serves society."

Colombia is perhaps the country with the most apologies from public figures right now, which comes as a result of a remarkable peace agreement in 2016 that ended half a century of war with the leftist rebel group FARC.

The agreement is a panacea for anyone from all sides, whether it is the FARC, the right-wing militias or the former officials, as everyone has declared their responsibility for the atrocities that occurred and expressed remorse.

In June, for example, former President Juan Manuel Santos requested a pardon for the mass killing of civilians by the military when he was defense minister.

"I kept thinking about all the things I did or the provocations I provoked, that took the lives of the victims, and all the families who lost everything because of us," said Salvatore Mancuso, commander in chief of the right-wing United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a group formed to fight the FARC. .

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