Thursday, January 31, 2008

More Headlines - Late Thurs 1/31/2008

Friends: Before the headlines, a few statistics from Reuters AlertNet

(focus of news website is on links for humanitarian aid workers). As frightening as the brutal killing seems to North Americans, the displacement is staggering, with longlasting effects--this we can understand when we think of Katrina or the tsunamis in Asia.

Over a quarter million people are living in makeshift camps, with no property, nowhere to go. How will they start over their lives? And the long rains are due to begin in a few weeks (around St. Patrick's Day).

See other posts particularly from the UN's IRIN service (or use Google to search) regarding increased HIV/AIDS risk, rape in the camps, the spread of other infectious diseases, the effect of trauma on children (about half of all IDPs are children).

See feature from IRIN on IDP children falling through protection cracks.

See another feature from IRIN on Health workers grappling with conflict-related sexual violence.

IDPs from all major ethnic groups
Depending on the majority ethnicity in a given location, the minority refugees may be Kikuyu and Kisii (around Eldoret and Kakamega in Western Province) or Kalenjin, Luo, and Luhya (in Central Province, around Nakuru, Naivasha and Nairobi)--this is an oversimplification, just to say that...

Displacement is affecting all the major ethnic groups, even if they are isolated now from one another in "homogenous zones."

See BBC map of the distribution of ethnicity in Kenya (2007), prior to the post-election violence and displacement.

Pray for the children. Below, the UN's current figures.

--by Mary Kay Rehard, Cincinnati, Ohio

255,000 IDPs
(UN) Estimates from National disasters Operation Centre (15 Jan)

Rift Valley: 78,156
Western: 12,271
Nyanza: 2,778
Nairobi: 1,976
Central: 2,220
Coast: 261

311 IDP sites est.

UGANDA 5,909 refugees (Uganda RCS, 16 Jan)

Maps
Africa
MAP: Kenya: Displacement and Humanitarian Response (as of 28 Jan 2008) - Situation Map
Source: ReliefWeb Source: ReliefWeb (1 day ago)
Click here for PDF version of map from Reuters AlertNet


Now More Headlines - Late Thurs 1/31/2008

Kenya peace talks in disarray after killing of second opposition MP

· 'Political assassination' sparks fresh violence
· UN secretary general warns of catastrophe

Xan Rice in Eldoret and Chris McGreal in Nairobi
Friday February 1, 2008
The Guardian

The first day of international efforts to negotiate an end to Kenya's bloody election crisis were thrown into disarray yesterday after a policeman shot dead an opposition member of parliament, the second MP to be killed this week, in what his party called a "political assassination".

The leader of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, Raila Odinga, described the shooting of David Kimutai Too in the town of Eldoret as part of a political strategy to weaken his party's hold on parliament. "I condemn this second execution of an ODM member of parliament. The purpose of this killing is to reduce the ODM majority," he said.

The police said the killing was the result of a domestic dispute. Earlier this week, another opposition MP, Melitus Were, was shot dead outside his home in Nairobi. Yesterday, Salim Lone, the ODM spokesman, said the party was concerned about the safety of its MPs and was urgently reviewing security arrangements.

News of Too's death prompted more violence in the Rift Valley, including the burning of the homes of what are seen as rival ethnic groups to the Kalenjin majority there, while at least two people were killed by police shooting at the mobs.

The MP's killing also forced the postponement of a meeting between the government and opposition mediated by the former United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, and added to the urgency of a warning yesterday by his successor at the UN, Ban Ki-moon, that Kenya faces a looming "catastrophe".

Ban is expected to arrive in Nairobi today to give added international weight to the mediation efforts to end the violence that has already killed about 850 people since President Mwai Kibaki claimed victory in highly disputed circumstances in the December 27 election.

Odinga is demanding a new ballot. Kibaki has ruled it out. Annan has said the talks could take months, but Ban warned a meeting of the African Union in Ethiopia yesterday that the killing needs to be swiftly brought to an end.

"Violence continues, threatening to escalate to catastrophic levels," he said. "I call on the Kenyan people: stop the killings and end the violence now before it's too late."

The AU's chairman, Alpha Oumar Konare, told 40 of the continent's leaders at the opening of the summit that they must take action. "If Kenya burns, there will be nothing for tomorrow," he said. "Kenya is a country that was a hope for the continent. Today, if you look at Kenya you see violence on the streets. We are even talking about ethnic cleansing. We are even talking about genocide. We cannot sit here with our hands folded."

Too was killed in Eldoret, an opposition stronghold in the Rift Valley that has seen some of the worst ethnic violence since the disputed election. Witnesses said he was with a female traffic constable. They were looking at land that Too was considering purchasing, according to Beatrice Chepkemboi, 23, speaking at the scene yesterday afternoon. When the pair arrived back at their car, a traffic officer on a police motorbike sped up to them.

"The MP had climbed into the car and the lady was about to open the door when the officer shot her," said Chepkemboi, who watched the scene from a house about 30 metres away. "She put up her hands in surrender and pleaded with the officer but he shot her again."

The officer went round to the driver's side of the car and shot Too several times, Chepkemboi said. Photographs taken on a mobile phone showed him slumped over the driver's window. The officer then sped away. He later gave himself up to police.

As soon as the news reached town, people began running back to their homes, fearing another outburst of violence. Shops were shuttered up as youths set up roadblocks in the streets and military helicopters flew overhead. In the Kapsoya Estate, where the officer comes from, at least one house was burned down.

In the late afternoon, several dozen people were still clustered around the murder scene. The police explanation that this was a "crime of romance" was flatly rejected by many in the town. Some residents said they believed the killing was political.

Kevin Juma, a 33-year-old mechanic, said: "Why are you even asking if it is political? We have lost two opposition MPs in three days. After this, there will never be peace if Kibaki does not go - that is not a plea, it's a promise."

Full story from Guardian UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2250424,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront


Politics & Society

Kenyan Crisis Intensifies with High-Profile Killings

by Michel Martin and Ofeibea Quist-Arcton
Listen Now [5 min 1 sec] add to playlist

[Photo] Kenyan police officers visit a memorial in Nairobi for those killed, raped or displaced in the country's post-election violence. Getty Images

Tell Me More, January 31, 2008

· Violence continues to escalate in Kenya, following post-election fallout from the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki in December. Two opposition legislators were killed this week — Melitus "Mugabe" Were and David Too.

Although police in the East African nation say Too was murdered in a "crime of passion" by his girlfriend, the opposition calls his death an assassination.

More than 850 people have been killed and thousands displaced, as bloody clashes continue between members of Kibaki's ethnic group, Kikuyu, and other ethnic tribes supporting opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Odinga disputes the recent election results along with observers who say fraud was so widespread, it is impossible to tell who actually won the majority vote. The political dispute has degenerated into violent street clashes with ethnic overtones.

A number of international leaders are attempting to help negotiate an end to the crisis. On Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, referred to the violence in Kenya as "ethnic cleansing," sparking controversy at the State Department.

NPR's West Africa correspondent, Ofeibea Quist-Arcton discusses the latest developments from Nairobi.

Full story from NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18570223


U.N.'s Ban throws weight behind Kenya peace drive

Thu 31 Jan 2008, 23:05 GMT
By Nick Tattersall

NAIROBI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon throws his heavyweight diplomatic clout on Friday behind efforts to end Kenya's month-long violent political standoff in which at least 850 people have been killed.

African leaders at a summit in neighbouring Ethiopia attended by the U.N. head have called for urgent action to stop the bloodletting, which has turned one of the continent's more stable nations into its most pressing crisis.

Ban would fly to Kenya to meet predecessor Kofi Annan, who has been spearheading mediation efforts in Nairobi, as well as opposition leader Raila Odinga and civil society representatives during a visit of a few hours, U.N. officials said.

He told the 53-nation African Union summit on Thursday the violence in Kenya threatened to "escalate to catastrophic levels" and called on President Mwai Kibaki and Odinga to do everything possible to resolve the crisis.

"The aim of the visit is to offer support to the Annan-led panel and be briefed by the U.N. country team on the humanitarian crisis," a U.N. official in Nairobi said.

South Africa said influential business tycoon Cyril Ramaphosa would also join the mediation efforts on Friday. Ramaphosa was chief negotiator for the African National Congress in talks that produced a peaceful end to apartheid in 1994.

Kenya descended into a spiral of political and ethnic killing after Kibaki's disputed re-election on Dec. 27. Odinga says Kibaki stole the vote, while international observers said the count was so chaotic it was impossible to tell who won.

TRIBAL DIVISIONS
The unrest has taken the lid off decades-old divisions between tribal groupings over land, wealth and power, dating from British colonial rule and stoked by Kenyan politicians during 44 years of independence.

The United States and European countries have pledged their support for Annan's mediation efforts. Donors have said aid programmes to Kenya are under review.

A group of mostly European donors has suspended future payments on a good governance and law enforcement programme in light of the current crisis, Denmark's ambassador to Kenya Bo Jensen said.

Many in the country fear what will happen if Annan fails to clinch some sort of power-sharing deal.

Fresh protests, in which witnesses said at least two people were killed, broke out on Thursday after a police officer in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret shot dead an opposition legislator, the second killed in a week.

Police have said they are treating the killing as a "crime of passion" rather than a political act, but Odinga condemned it as a deliberate assassination.

Soldiers fired into the air to disperse angry mobs in Eldoret after the MP's killing. Protests also erupted in the pro-opposition western town of Kisumu, where youths burned tyres and blocked roads with piles of rocks.

Kibaki has said the security forces are under strict orders to take firm action against anyone inciting violence. Odinga has accused him of ordering a shoot-to-kill policy. (Additional reporting

by Patrick Worsnip in New York and Lesley Wroughton in Addis Ababa)

© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.

Full story from Reuters
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL31501322.html



Ramaphosa to help in Kenya

31/01/2008 22:17 - (SA)

Sporadic shooting in Kenya
Kenyan parties postpone talks
Kenyan cop kills opposition MP
Ban urges Kenya to solve crisis
Summit: Kibaki in the spotlight
Kenyan negotiators to hold talks
'Ethnic cleansing' in Kenya
Kenya crisis talks delayed

Addis Ababa - Influential business tycoon Cyril Ramaphosa will go to Kenya on Friday to join efforts to end a bloody crisis that has killed 850 people, President Thabo Mbeki said,

"He is going to Nairobi tomorrow at the request of Kofi Annan," Mbeki told Reuters. Former UN chief Annan is leading efforts to mediate between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Ramaphosa was chief negotiator for the ANC in talks that produced a peaceful end to apartheid in 1994. South Africa says Kenya's turmoil could be disastrous for the continent if it does not end soon.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also told Kibaki at the African Union summit that he too would be going to help with mediation efforts in the country. Ban said that the violence was "threatening to escalate to catastrophic levels".

Full story from news24.com
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Politics/0,,2-7-12_2262629,00.html



Sporadic shooting in Kenya

31/01/2008 16:43 - (SA)


Kenyan parties postpone talks
Kenyan cop kills opposition MP
Ban urges Kenya to solve crisis
Summit: Kibaki in the spotlight
Kenyan negotiators to hold talks
'Ethnic cleansing' in Kenya
Kenya crisis talks delayed
Kenya threatens tougher action
Cops ordered to 'shoot to kill'

Eldoret - Kenyan police on Thursday battled demonstrators in western towns, injuring at least six people, after an opposition lawmaker was killed in what police said was a crime of passion, AFP correspondents said.

The six were wounded in the Eldoret township after police moved in to disperse demonstrators who had erected illegal checkpoints along the main road to the capital Nairobi.

Protestors razed part of Nyagacho slums on the outskirts of the western town of Kericho, which is near the hometown of the slain Orange Democratic Movement lawmaker David Kimutai Too.

One Kericho resident said: "The situation here is gloomy.

"There is smoke all over the town, shops have been ordered closed and people told to go home and stay indoors. Schools have been closed. There is sporadic shooting everywhere and people are scared."

Police fired teargas canisters to disperse hundreds of protectors in the ODM stronghold of Kisumu, where groceries hurriedly closed for fear of looting that had gripped the lakeside outpost in the recent weeks, an AFP correspondent said.

"If the police are there to maintain law, who should a policemen take somebody's life when we have courts," Vitalis Onyango, a demonstrator, told AFP in one Kisumu slum.

The lawmaker was killed by a traffic policeman in a suburb of Eldoret in what police described as an apparent crime of passion. A lady shot alongside the lawmaker in an Eldoret surbub.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga said the killing was part of a plot to slash the number of opposition lawmakers in parliament, but police commissioner Major Mohamed Hussein Ali said the motive did not appear to be political.

"We are urging people to remain calm and leaders should avoid speculating on the cause of the MP's death. Already the culprit has been arrested and will be arraigned in court tomorrow," Ali said.

Nearly 1 000 people have been killed in rioting and tribal fighting that have gripped the east African state since President Mwai Kibaki was re-elected after December 27 polls. Odinga accuses Kibaki of stealing his way to victory.

Former UN chief Kofi Annan is trying to mediate a deal to end the Kenyan crisis.

Full story from News24.com
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2262440,00.html


KENYA: Jobs another casualty in post-election violence

Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN

More than 800 people have been killed and 250,000 displaced in the Kenyan post-election turmoil

NAIROBI, 31 January 2008 (IRIN) - George Kose, 30, a graduate of Moi University, Eldoret, lost his job at one of the leading firms in Nairobi just days after the election results were announced on 30 December 2007. "I could not get to work on time from Kajiado [about 100km south of the capital] on 2 January as there was a transport problem due to the skirmishes that were being experienced in the city; my supervisor issued me with a stern warning about my lateness," Kose said. "With the transport problem persisting for the next two days I ended up being late again. I was then fired, despite my explanations," he said. "I think my supervisor was just looking for a reason to fire me as we did not get along well. There wasn't much for me to do but leave; your employer has the final word."

As the first-born in my family, I was the breadwinner but now I've almost been rendered useless Kose, who had worked at the company for more than a year, earning about 30,000 shillings [US$428] per month], regrets not being in a position to provide for his parents and siblings in Kajiado.

"As the first-born in my family, I was the breadwinner but now I've almost been rendered useless," he said. To keep busy, Kose has been volunteering as an HIV/AIDS peer counsellor in his home town. "I hope to get another job soon as I've been busy giving out my CV to potential employers," he said. In the meantime, Kose, who is neither an ethnic Kikuyu, Kalenjin nor Luo, the main groups at the centre of the conflict, has joined thousands of Kenyans who have become jobless due to the prevailing insecurity in the country. Tourism badly hit Most sectors of the economy have been affected due to insecurity and transport disruptions. The tourism sector has been badly hit, leading to massive job losses.

Full story from IRIN
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76511

Camps overflow as post-election violence worsens

31 Jan 2008 18:31:00 GMT 31 Jan 2008 18:31:00 GMT

Source: Church World Service-USA
By Micah McCoy, Church World Service, East Africa office
Website: http://www.churchworldservice.org/

Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.


Previous Next
Jane Kingora Photo: Micah McCoy, CWS East Africa January 29, 2008

As the political stalemate continues and violence associated with the highly controversial December 27th elections escalates and spreads, camps for those displaced throughout Kenya are operating beyond their capacity.

More than a quarter-million Kenyans have been forced to leave their homes due to the ongoing political and ethnic violence.

Some were able to save their possessions, piling trucks high with furniture and other belongings, while others were lucky to escape only with their safety. Behind them their homes, businesses, and fields lie smoldering.

From the remote areas of the Rift Valley to the slums of urban Nairobi, scores of impromptu camps have sprung up. Some of those in the camps are only stopping over for a night on their way to stay with friends and relatives in other areas. However, the vast majority of the men, women, and children camped in the churches, police stations, and municipal show grounds have nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to, and no definite future.

Nakuru

Nakuru, a large industrial town 157 km. northwest of Nairobi, houses one of the largest and busiest Internally Displaced Persons camps. The expansive Nakuru Show Grounds is hosting approximately 4,000 people on any given day. Here the relief effort is well organized and bustling. Local volunteers constantly come and go bringing food and supplies. Most of the displaced families here are only passing through on their way somewhere else. There are, however, over 2,000 people who have no place else to go.

Jane Kingora Photo: Micah McCoy, CWS East Africa

Jane Kingora, one of those seeking refuge at the show grounds, tells of her experience:
"I have run away from Burnt Forest (a town in the North Rift Valley) in order to seek peace. A group of people came and burnt my house. Some I knew, others I didn't. The ones I knew were my own neighbors. They burnt several houses. At one house they put a grandmother in the house and burnt it. They burnt her while she was still alive. She is now dead."
Gesturing around at the crowded stadium where the masses of people have set up temporary shelter amongst the piles of mattresses, blankets, and odd pieces of furniture salvaged from their homes, Jane continues:

"I came here four days ago. I am here with my children and grandchildren, but my husband is still out there somewhere. I've been trying to call him but I can't get through. I am so bitter because I was born there (in Burnt Forest). Now it is not possible to return home. I have so many problems I don't know where to start or what to expect. I'm wondering what to do next because I was born there, married there, I had kids, grandchildren. My son, he got married there, so I'm wondering what I should do. I can't get employed. I'm too old."

Molo [This is the town nearest St Andrew's Turi where the Nugent Rehard children went to school for four years]

Displaced persons at one of the three IDP camps in Molo, Kenya. Photo: Micah McCoy, CWS East Africa

Following the highway an hour's drive north from Nakuru is another Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, located on the grounds of three adjacent churches in Molo town. Molo, more isolated than Nakuru, doesn't enjoy the constant flow of supplies and volunteers that help sustain the camp at the show grounds. Here the sounds and smells of human suffering assault the senses. Babies crying, children squealing, the smells of campfire smoke and raw sewage in the air, faces tired and expressionless. All echoes of the trauma of violence and displacement.
The Molo camp is home to over 4,000 displaced persons, the majority of whom are women and children. Most of the people in this camp have nowhere else to go: nothing behind but ashes and nothing ahead but uncertainty.

Here the Kenya Red Cross has been able to supply the camps with some of the bare basics: potable water, subsistence food, and a small medical clinic. Other bare essentials are simply unavailable. The camps are seriously overcrowded and receive more IDPs every day as the violence continues to spiral out of control. There is only one latrine for every thousand people, greatly increasing the risk of contamination and disease in the camp. Firewood and fuel for cooking is in such short supply that occupants are forced to tear down and burn the perimeter fencing of the church grounds. While food supplies are adequate, they do not meet the special nutritional requirements of the many pregnant or nursing mothers, children, and HIV-positive population.

The nights are cold for the majority of those staying in Molo. Limited space has led the camp administrators to only allow the mothers with infants to sleep indoors or in tents. The rest of the people must sleep outside, some without blankets, at the mercy of the elements. Cases of pneumonia--especially among children and the elderly--are on the rise due to the lack of blankets and shelter. Inadequate gender-appropriate facilities put women and children at a higher level of risk for sexual abuse.

Mathare

Ann Nthenya (left) and Ruth Wanjiku (right) at Soul Winning Church in Mathare Photo: Micah McCoy, CWS East Africa

While not as remote as Molo, Nairobi has its share of problems. Violence has become endemic in its volatile and sprawling slum areas. Mathare, Nairobi's second largest slum, has been one of the hardest hit areas in the chaos following the December elections. As the presidential results were announced, Mathare exploded in violence and flame. Gangs of armed youth rampaged through Mathare, burning entire neighborhoods and brutally attacking anyone who was perceived to be of a different political affiliation. The thousands who were left homeless sought refuge at a nearby army base and various churches throughout the area. Soul Winning Church, one of the churches serving as a makeshift home for the displaced, is where Ruth Wanjiku and Ann Nthenya have taken shelter after their homes were destroyed.

"We lived in a village that was just burned," says Ruth, "People were throwing stones so we tried to defend ourselves and our homes. But the group surrounded us and began to burn houses. We tried to put out the fire, but all the while we were being stoned, so we decided to stop fighting and salvage what we could. We ran to the Presbyterian Church, but there was a group that followed and threatened us, so we decided to leave and go to Soul Winning Church. There we took turns keeping watch. There is a shortage of space and food, and the only ones allowed to stay indoors are the ones with babies. We basically have nothing. At some point we'll have to go, but we have no place to go. We have no money to rent another house. It is a very bad experience. I was born in this village. It is all I know. Now, I, my mother, and my thirteen siblings have no place to go."

Ann, nodding in agreement, says, "My experience is similar, but I'm all by myself. My cousin died December 15, and she has been in the mortuary ever since. We have no money to retrieve her body. She left behind a baby that I take care of now."

Over a thousand men, women, and children huddle in this cramped island of relative safety.

Despite the camp's ethnic and political mixture, all the occupants here are at peace because they are in the same boat. They share the same overcrowded church compound, the same overused latrines, and sleep outside on the same hard ground. Even in this climate of sadness and loss, Ruth shows an encouraging spirit of resilience and reconciliation.

"All different tribes are here but we get along just fine. We have been very good neighbors. It was the devil who took hold of the people who burned our houses. These same people were our neighbors. We will forgive; we will go on with our lives. The only time I was really angry was the day our houses were burned."

Action by Churches Together - Kenya relief effort

Action by Churches Together members, including Church World Service (CWS), Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Diakonie Emergency Aid (DEA), Danish Church Aid (DCA), Christian Aid (CAid), Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA), Evangelical Church of Kenya (ECK), National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), and Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC), are working together to addresses emergency needs in Kenya.

Mathare: Church World Service/KELC food distribution at Soul Winning Church, in Mathare area of Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: Micah McCoy, CWS East Africa

Implementing partners have been on the ground working to better conditions in the IDP camps from day one. Immediately after the outbreak of violence in early January, Church World Service distributed--with implementing partner Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church--twenty-two tons of essential food and supplies to displaced people in Mathare. This initial distribution of relief supplies was followed by a similar CWS distribution of over 30 tons with partner National Council of Churches in Kenya, in Mombasa and Western Province, directly aiding over 2,700 households displaced by the violence.

The ACT coalition response effort has secured $100,000 in rapid release funds to purchase 2,300 IDP kits containing a kitchen set, mosquito nets, sanitary towels, and blankets. Each individual IDP kit is designed to meet the essential non-food needs of a displaced family. To further address the dismal shelter situation, the coalition has acquired 1,619 tents (1,100 from DCA and 519 from NCA) to give additional thousands of displaced persons a reprieve from the elements.

In order to stay informed and up-to-date on the needs and situational developments, CWS East Africa and ACT are conduct regular assessments of the conditions and demographics of the IDP camps throughout Kenya. Currently underway is a Church of Sweden supported country-wide assessment of the various affected areas designed to ascertain the level of psycho-social impact the violence and mass displacement have had on the affected populations. CWS and ACT continue to focus on filling gaps in the wider relief effort and serving overlooked pockets of the displaced left in the wake of the post-election madness that grips Kenya.

Make a donation: Kenya post-election civil unrest

Return to CWS Kenya response
Media Contact: Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net aidnews ## for search indexer, do not remove -->
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]


Source: Church World Service-USA (42 minutes ago)

Full story from Reuters AlertNet
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/284081/120180451776.htm



U.S. warns against travel to Kenya

01 Feb 2008 00:54:40 GMT 01 Feb 2008 00:54:40 GMT
Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Amid a fresh outbreak of political violence in Kenya, the United States on Thursday alerted Americans to the risk of traveling to the troubled East African nation.

Political and ethnic violence has killed 850 people in Kenya since the disputed Dec. 27 re-election of President Mwai Kibaki. The killing of an opposition legislator on Thursday sparked new protests and fatal clashes.

The State Department said the situation in Kenya was volatile and subject to change on short notice, adding that some U.S. officials had been temporarily moved from the western port city of Kisumu to the capital, Nairobi.

"A recent outbreak of protests in Nairobi and violent civil unrest in Kisumu, Nakuru, and Naivasha demonstrates the potential for spontaneous violence in the current political climate," the State Department said in a travel alert.

The alert urged U.S. citizens to avoid travel to those cities and other areas outside Nairobi. It also warned American travelers to be prepared for a sudden outbreak of clashes between police and demonstrators or rival groups of demonstrators.

"Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can become violent," the alert warned.

"Americans should therefore avoid all demonstrations, protests and large public gatherings."

(Writing by JoAnne Allen; Editing by Eric Beech)

Full story from Reuters AlertNet
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N31366852.htm





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BBC News, UK - 1 hour ago
France's foreign minister has appealed to the UN Security Council to help stop post-election violence in Kenya. Bernard Kouchner expressed fear that the ...
Kenya: Ban Ki-Moon to Visit Strife-Torn Country AllAfrica.com
Kenya talks postponed Euronews.net
Second opposition MP shot dead in Kenya as crisis deepens InTheNews.co.uk
Bloomberg - NDTV.com
all 13 news articles »

Turkish Press
Kenya: Nakuru's New Face After Peace Takes Flight Like Its Flamingoes
AllAfrica.com, Washington - 15 hours ago
One of the garages burnt at the Kenya Industrial Estate had eight government cars. They were all reduced to shells. Trusting in the efficiency of the police ...
Kenya: Kenya's rift valley burns as death toll soars to 750 AllAfrica.com
Kenya talks resume amid violence Aljazeera.net
Helicopters open fire above Kenya town The Age
Reuters South Africa - Reuters South Africa
all 47 news articles »

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