2/6/2025
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Kenya to send Somali elders to negotiate release of abducted elders near border


Tuesday February 4, 2025

Nairobi (HOL) – Kenyan government is preparing to send Somali elders to negotiate the release of five local chiefs abducted on Monday near the Kenya-Somalia border in Mandera County. 

Authorities believe that sending elders to engage in negotiations is the most effective way to secure the safe return of the abducted chiefs, who are believed to be held inside Somalia by unidentified individuals. 

“Unless they are killed, which may not happen, we have to send elders to negotiate with their counterparts in Somalia for the release of the administrators,” said an official familiar with the operation. 

The motive behind the abduction remains unclear, but officials suspect the involvement of Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militants, who have a history of cross-border attacks and kidnappings in the region. 

According to police and witnesses, the five chiefs were traveling by car to Elwak when they were ambushed and hijacked between Bamba Owla and Ires Suki. 

The incident has raised security concerns as President William Ruto, accompanied by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, is scheduled to visit Mandera, Garissa, and Wajir Counties as part of efforts to address regional development priorities and engage local communities. 



 





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