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Peace talks resume in Kenya
04/02/2008 12:14 - (SA)
Katy Pownall
Chebalat - Kenya's opposing political forces resumed peace talks on Monday in a push to end weeks of violence, as ethnic fighting flared in western parts of the country, once considered one of the most stable on the continent.
The meetings in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, mediated by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, came after the two sides agreed to a two-week plan to try to end ethnic clashes that followed the December 27 presidential election, which foreign and local observers said was rigged.
At least seven people were killed overnight in battles between Kisii and Kalenjin communities, in a region 250km west of the capital, said the district commissioner of Sotik town, Humphrey Nakitare.
The fighting continued on Monday with hundreds of youths - armed with bows and arrows and machetes - attacking one another in an area, where 2 000 people had fled their homes during nine days of clashes, Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Hassan Noor said. Dozens of houses were burned overnight, witnesses said.
800+ people killed
Western Kenya had been the scene of some of the worst bloodshed since the election, with gangs attacking each other and torching houses. Nationwide, the violence had killed more than 800 and made 300 000 homeless.
On Sunday, opposition leader Raila Odinga called on international peacekeepers to help quell the fighting.
"The AU (African Union) should bring in peacekeepers because the violence in Kenya is appalling," said Odinga.
The election returned President Mwai Kibaki to power for a second five-year term after Odinga's early lead evaporated overnight.
The ensuing violence had degenerated into ethnic clashes over decades-old grudges about land and resources, with much of the anger aimed at Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe, long resented for their domination of politics and the economy.
On Monday, peace negotiators tackled the humanitarian plight, said William Ruto, an opposition negotiator.
Kibaki, Odinga 'to take action'
"Today, we are discussing the humanitarian situation in the country," Ruto said, adding that on Tuesday they would turn to the election dispute.
Representatives of Kibaki and Odinga agreed on Friday to take immediate action to end the violence and said they would complete talks within 15 days on measures to resolve the political crisis. Annan said it would take up to a year to solve deeper problems.
Ruto said his party had faith in the Annan-led mediation.
"We are hopeful that Annan's mission will succeed because it has the support of the international community, and our party is determined to give it every chance to make it a success."
But both sides were still talking tough. Kibaki accused his opponents of orchestrating the violence, and Odinga said Kenyans would not allow their votes to be stolen.
- AP
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