US eases Kenya travel warning

2008-03-24 16:05

Nairobi - The United States has relaxed a travel warning to Kenya following a power-sharing deal between President Mwai Kibaki and Orange Democratic leader Raila Odinga that has halted weeks of violence.

"Threats of political demonstrations and violence have dramatically receded following the widely accepted power-sharing agreement signed on February 28," the US State Department said.

The department said it was reviewing the resumption of US Peace Corps programme, in which mainly young volunteers travel abroad to work in a range of fields to help a host countries.

That programme was suspended in February because of the violence that followed the December 27 disputed polls, in which Odinga accused Kibaki of having rigged the election.

Washington nevertheless warned its citizens to be on their guard.

"Kenya has a high rate of violent crime and remains potentially susceptible to attacks from terrorists in the region," it said.

"The US government continues to receive indications of potential terrorist threats aimed at American, western, and Kenyan interests.

Kenya is still recovering from what was one of its worst crises since independence in 1963.

The disputed December elections sparked widespread violence, with clashes often split along ethnic lines, in which some 1 500 people were killed.

- AFP