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Kenyan rivals strike deal
28/02/2008 16:12 - (SA)
Nairobi - Kenya's rival leaders have agreed to form a coalition government to end a two-month political crisis that has claimed about 1 500 lives, former UN chief Kofi Annan said on Thursday.
"We have come to an understanding on the coalition agreement. We do have an agreement," Annan told reporters.
A meeting was planned for later in the day and "at that point we will be ready to sign a document", Annan said after marathon talks to end one of the east African state's worst political crises.
Annan made the announcement after talks with President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who heads the African Union, and former Tanzanian leader Benjamin Mkapa also attended.
Government and opposition negotiators had previously failed to agree on a power-sharing deal to resolve the crisis that erupted after Odinga accused Kibaki of rigging the December 27 presidential election.
Deadly attack
Political and tribal violence since the election has claimed at least 1 500 lives, forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes and dealt a severe blow to Kenya's economy.
At Annan's request, Odinga cancelled opposition rallies called for Thursday and went back into talks, but as negotiations resumed, police reported another deadly attack overnight in the western Molo district of the Rift Valley.
Three people were killed, five others wounded and more than 30 huts torched, Rift Valley police commander Joseph Ashimala said.
"They were attacked and shot with arrows when more than 100 youths raided villages and torched houses. They are admitted to Molo district hospital," he added.
Ashimala said they had boosted security in the region, which has been the scene of sporadic tribal fighting since 1992, partly because Kikukus who have tended to dominate the country's political life settled the fertile area.
Police said most of the houses torched belong to people who had recently returned after having been evicted from their homes in December.
A local Kikuyu, Irari Mugo, said: "The attack started at about 01:00 am (22:00 GMT) when the Kalenjin came and started burning houses. Police were slow in responding, but when they arrived the Kalenjins had already burned them."
Lack of progress
Although the Kikuyu are the largest of the east African country's many tribes, they are a minority in western Kenya, where people overwhelmingly backed Odinga, a Luo, who also has strong support from the Kalenjin.
Annan on Tuesday suspended talks between the government and opposition representatives, citing lack of progress on the details of the prime minister's post, a key element to the political settlement.
The main issue dividing the two sides appeared to have been how much power the prime minister would be granted in a nation that provides constitutionally for strong presidential rule.
- AFP
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