by STEPHEN ASTARIKOTuesday June 2, 2026 Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi delivering his remarks at Wajir Stadium during the Madaraka Day celebrations./PCS Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi has said the people of Wajir, speaking through their council of elders, will present President William Ruto with 100 camels as a symbolic show of gratitude for what he described as the President’s steadfast support for development, inclusion, and empowerment in Northern Kenya. The pledge was made on Monday during the 2026 Madaraka Day…

Wednesday May 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s political standoff has entered another waiting period, but mediators say the effort to bring the federal government and opposition back to the table is still alive. On Tuesday, traditional elders involved in the process met with leaders of the Somali Future Council, saying the talks have been slowed by logistical and procedural hurdles rather than derailed. Garaad Jamac Garaad Ali, who is part of the mediation team, said the main setback has been the incomplete formation of…

Tuesday May 26, 2026 Dabbasa Dambi and Gurracha Dambala Addis Abeba – Two Borana elders from Kenya’s Marsabit County, held for nearly two weeks on suspicion of ties to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), have been freed after a court accepted a property bail totaling 14 million Kenyan shillings, or about 17.3 million Ethiopian Birr, their defense lawyer told Addis Standard. The men — Dabbasa Dambi, a former administrator of Gololle village, and Gurracha Dambala, a respected elder from Sololo — walked out of custody yesterday…

Monday April 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — As tensions persist between Somalia’s federal government and opposition leaders, civil society groups are backing a familiar force in Somali politics: traditional elders. At a press conference in Mogadishu on Sunday, Osman Moalim Shatax, chairman of a coalition of non-state actors, said civil society supports appeals from both sides to bring elders into the mediation process. Shatax said the elders are in a strong position to help restore confidence and steer the country toward a…

Tuesday April 28, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — North Western State of Somalia’s Guurti, the upper house of elders, has voted to extend the mandates of the local councils and the House of Representatives by 27 months, a decision that is expected to intensify arguments over the region’s election timetable and political direction. The measure passed on Tuesday with overwhelming support, as 71 of the 72 members present backed the extension. The move pushes the terms of the two institutions out by more than two years. Under North…

Tuesday April 28, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a pointed appeal during a state dinner at the presidential palace on Monday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pressed Somalia’s traditional elders to throw their weight behind universal suffrage as the country moves through a fraught political transition. The event brought together elders from across Somalia at a moment when debate over the voting system and the shape of future governance has become increasingly intense. Hassan Sheikh lauded the elders for their longstanding…

Monday April 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has renewed calls for political talks in Somalia, urging the country’s traditional elders to step into the center of efforts to ease the worsening standoff. In a statement released Saturday, Farmaajo said the elders could help narrow the rift and reduce the risk of further turmoil, joining similar appeals made by former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. “The presidents’ call highlights the important role that…

Monday April 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — As Somalia grapples with a widening political standoff, civil society groups are urging that traditional elders be brought to the forefront of efforts to bridge the divide between the federal government and opposition leaders. At a press conference in Mogadishu on Sunday, Osman Moalim Shatax, chairman of a coalition of non-state actors, said civil society supports recent appeals from both government and opposition figures for elders to take part in mediation. Shatax said the country’s…

Monday April 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a bid to calm mounting political tensions, Somali opposition leaders sat down with influential Hawiye clan elders in Mogadishu on Sunday, as the country edges closer to a disputed electoral process. The discussions drew a number of prominent opposition figures, among them former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Ministers Hassan Ali Khaire and Mohamed Hussein Roble, as well as lawmakers and other political actors. At the center of the talks was Somalia’s increasingly…

Sunday April 5, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Sunday with traditional elders in Baidoa, stepping into the center of a delicate push to calm tensions and reinforce governance in Southwest State after recent political unrest. According to Villa Somalia, the talks centered on community reconciliation, support for Somalia’s democratization drive, the worsening drought and wider state-building efforts. The meeting comes days after federal authorities assumed control of Baidoa and installed an…