Al-Shabaab has issued a warning to traditional elders through proxy media.
On September 2, the militant group warned the elders not to take part in the election of parliamentarians.
Ali Dhere, the group’s spokesperson, issued a statement urging elders and contractors to keep off the parliamentary elections.
Currently, Somalia is finalizing its elections for Upper House seats.
Some regional states have completed their Upper House elections while others only conducted partial polls. HirShabelle remains the only regional state yet to conduct these senatorial polls.
Community elders play a crucial role in the election of the parliamentarians.
They are responsible for picking 101 delegates per constituency. These delegates would then have the onus of electing the new Members of Parliament (MPs) for the House of Representatives.
Representatives from the civil society will work together with the community elders in this task.