By Adan Mohamed - Reporter
14 June 2026 - Community leaders from Elwak, Kenya, and Elwak, Somalia, have held a cross-border peace meeting aimed at addressing recent clashes involving members of the Marehan and Garre communities in the border area of Elwak.
The peace talks come in the wake of recent border clashes that left four people dead, escalating hostilities and necessitating a series of engagements between community leaders and authorities to restore calm and foster lasting peace along the Kenya–Somalia border.
The meeting, held in Elwak, Somalia, was spearheaded by the BORESHA-NABAD Programme funded by the European Union with co-funding from Danida brought together elders, religious leaders, youth representatives, women leaders, and local administrators from both sides of the border.
Elders deliberated on the causes of the conflict and explored practical measures to prevent further violence and strengthen peaceful coexistence among the affected communities.
During the discussions, community elders unanimously agreed to take the resolutions reached at the meeting back to their respective communities and intensify peace awareness and sensitization campaigns.
They emphasized the need for sustained community engagement, particularly in Elwak, Somalia, to prevent a recurrence of the clashes and promote lasting harmony.
Sultan of the Marehan community, Khalif Haji Hassan, has called on both communities to embrace peace and peaceful coexistence, stressing that it is time to move beyond conflict and protect human life.
He urged residents on both sides to put aside their differences and work together to ensure that no more lives are lost, saying lasting stability can only be achieved through unity, dialogue, and mutual respect.
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While his counterpart from the Garre community Sultan Adan Adow Issack, echoed the same message, assuring residents that there would be lasting peace in both areas. He called on the communities to remain calm, uphold harmony, and support ongoing reconciliation efforts aimed at strengthening trust and preventing future conflict.
The leaders also agreed on the immediate cessation of hostilities and called for the joint apprehension of those responsible for the violence by the Kenyan and Somali authorities.
The forum further resolved that future disputes should be addressed through dialogue and existing peace mechanisms. Community leaders pledged to work closely with authorities in both Kenya and Somalia to maintain peace, security, and stability along the shared border.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment from all stakeholders to support ongoing peacebuilding initiatives and strengthen relations between communities living along the Kenya–Somalia border.