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US mediates Kenya crisis as opposition hardens stance

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Sunday, 06 January 2008

NAIROBI (AFP) — The top US Africa envoy on Sunday pushed Kenyan leaders to resolve an electoral row that touched off an unprecedented wave of violence as the opposition rejected a government offer to join a unity cabinet.

More than 360 people died in violence linked to the December 27 poll and aid groups warned of a looming humanitarian emergency after the displacement of tens of thousands of people, particularly in the west of the country and the capital's slums.

US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer negotiated with both camps on Sunday, a US embassy official told AFP.

But opposition leader Raila Odinga, who claims President Mwai Kibaki rigged the election, rejected the idea of a unity cabinet, a day after Kibaki made the offer for a power sharing deal.

Odinga claims Kibaki rigged the election and has called for Kibaki's resignation.

After meeting Frazer on Saturday, Kibaki said that a unity government "would not only unite Kenyans but would also help in the healing and reconciliation process."

Odinga flatly rejected the offer.

"We are not interested in Kibaki's solution to this problem. He has nothing to offer because he did not win these elections. It is an insult to the people of Kenya for a person who did not win the election ...(to offer a deal)," said Odinga, who claims Kibaki rigged the vote count.

"I should be the one offering him the option of a coalition. We are not power-hungry ... we want a properly negotiated settlement that will give a lasting solution to this problem," he added.

African Union head and Ghana President John Kufuor won Kenyan approval to hold talks in Nairobi this week to talk the rivals out of a political stalemate after the deadly clashes.

Poll monitors said the vote count was rife with irregularities with both sides trading accusations of blatant rigging.

The electoral board nevertheless declared Kibaki the winner, unleashing a wave of nationwide riots that quickly devolved into deadly tribal vendettas, notably between Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe and Odinga's Luo.

At least 361 people have been killed in poll-related violence since election day, according to a tally compiled by AFP from hospitals, police and mortuaries.

Odinga's camp plans to hold a demonstration on Tuesday over alleged vote rigging, nearly a week after police blocked an initial rally. The government has rejected their call for a presidential re-run in 90 days unless a court orders it.

The UN estimates that the chaos may have displaced 250,000 Kenyans, some 100,000 of whom need immediate help in the western Rift Valley region, a scene of some of the worst fighting.

Aid groups warned of a health emergency in makeshift camps in schools, hospitals and churches, most of which were still out of reach owing to their inaccessibility or safety concerns.

"Food and clean water supplies are now running dangerously low, especially in and around (the western city of) Kisumu," said aid organisation Merlin's Country Director in Kenya Wubeshet Woldermariam.

Despite a lull in fighting, the UN warned that it would take time to restore stability in regions where clashes had been severe, amid reports of isolated acts of violence.

Kibaki's praise for preserving Kenya's status as a war-free country and grooming its economy to become an "African tiger," has been damaged by calls for a probe into the ballot.

Kenyan Attorney General Amos Wako has suggested an independent audit, and Human Rights Watch warned that the country risked further violence in the absence of a transparent investigation.

A coalition of 27 leading Kenyan rights groups on Saturday rejected Kibaki's re-election, which they argued was rendered illegal by widespread voting irregularities.

Washington considers the country a key ally and a beacon of stability in the restive region, and Frazer was expected to pursue consultations until Monday to try to break the deadlock.

The crisis has had an impact beyond Kenya's borders, with fuel shortages disrupting transport and trade in Uganda, southern Sudan, Rwanda and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 January 2008 )

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