Borana and Gabra pastoralists agree to peace
From 17th – 19th July, 250 people gathered at the Gamura Wells near Maikona, Chalbi in northern Kenya to discuss how to expand peace along the Ethiopia/Kenya border between the Borana and the Gabra communities.
Dukana Gathering builds Gabra Borana Peace
From 3rd – 6th June, 130 people from both Ethiopia and Kenya attended a gathering hosted by the people of Dukana, Chalbi District, Kenya to discuss and extend recent peace agreements made between them and the Borana community at Dillo, Ethiopia.
Mara Wildlife in serious decline as pastoralist settlement increases
“Traditional livestock livelihoods of the Maasai, who do not consume wild animals, helped maintain the abundance of grazing animals in East Africa” said co-Author of a new ILRI study, Robin Reid of Colorado State University in the US, but the growing settlements and the exclusion of pastoralists from development of land policies have made their traditional way of life difficult to maintain. Full BBC story…
A new approach to learning and sharing knowledge – the University of the Bush
The University of the Bush is a new initiative that brings together leading pastoralist thinkers from across Ethiopia and Kenya to interact with leading academics on issues with pertinence to pastoralism. The first two seminars covered pastoralist mobility and land tenure systems and the second looked at pastoralist innovation.
“Shooting with Mursi” previewed at Addis International Film Festival
The film was shown at a private view at the Hidden Heroes film festival in March 2009 to an audience of around 300 people. Mursi community members, including one of the film-makers, Olisarali Olibui, attended and took part in a Q&A session after the film. “Shooting with Mursi” tells the story of the Mursi comunity through the eys of two of its members, brothers Olisarali and Milisha Olibui.
Ethiopian Pastoralists Join Together to Discuss Peace
“If pastoralists resolve conflict cases with traditional negotiations through elders, there won’t be a sense of revenge. The Borana, Gabra and Guji set traditional rules for themselves and brought peace to their communities. Their law is not contrary to government law or the constitution and, as long as it’s not against the constitution, the government accepts any law set by the people in relation to their culture, religion or lifestyle.”
Oromo pastoralists visit Woodaabe General Assembly in Niger
A group of pastoralists from the Ethiopian Oromia Pastoralist Association and Oromia Regional Government travelled to Niger this October to attend the 4th General Assembly of the Woodaabe Pastoralists of Niger.
Afar Pastoralist Council holds Inaugural General Meeting
Pastoralists from across Afar Region, north-eastern Ethiopia met at the inaugural meeting of the new Afar Pastoralists Council in late October. They also discussed major issues that Afar pastoralists are currently facing, such as conflict.
Pastoralist Leaders from Ethiopia and Kenya Forge Agreements to Decrease Conflict
Pastoralist leaders from Ethiopia and Kenya met in Koora, Kajiado District (Kenya) from 26th – 30th August 2008. They forged agreements to decrease tension and reduce violence. Several groups agreed that whenever conflict is sparked by raid or rumour elders from each group involved will notify each other and attempt to prevent escalation.
