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Kenyan Prez Agrees to Form Unity Gov't

Top US diplomat in talks as humanitarian crisis grows

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 5, 2008 6:08 AM CST
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(Newser) – Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki today pledged to form a unity government, after talks with the top US diplomat for Africa aimed at solving the country's violent post-election crisis, the BBC reports. Jendayi Frazer met first with opposition leader Raila Odinga, who has said he will not negotiate unless Kibaki steps down. Another meeting is planned.

Kibaki is "ready to form a government of national unity that would not only unite Kenyans but would also help in the healing and reconciliation process," his official statement said. Over 350 people have been killed in rioting and tribal violence since the Dec. 27 election, which Odinga accuses Kibaki of rigging. A UN official estimated that half a million Kenyans need food and shelter; over 180,000 have been forced from their homes.

Maize is handed out to displaced people who are taking shelter at a sports arena on the outskirts of the slum of Kibera, Nairobi, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. The leading U.S. diplomat for Africa, Jendayi Frazer met with Kenya's president and the opposition leader Saturday to encourage a peaceful...
Maize is handed out to displaced people who are taking shelter at a sports arena on the outskirts of the slum of Kibera, Nairobi, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. The leading U.S. diplomat for Africa, Jendayi...   (Associated Press)
United States Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer talks to the media during a press conference at the US Embassy in this September, 2007 file photo. Frazer has flown to Nairobi for talks aimed at defusing the crisis in Kenya. (AFP PHOTO/JOSE CENDON)
United States Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer talks to the media during a press conference at the US Embassy in this September, 2007 file photo. Frazer has flown to Nairobi for...   (Getty Images)
Displaced people and their belongings are spread out beside the main road near the town of Burnt Forest, some 35 kilometers from Eldoret, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 4, 2008. Kenya's opposition party called Friday for a rerun of the country's disputed election, as political deadlock between the president and his chief...
Displaced people and their belongings are spread out beside the main road near the town of Burnt Forest, some 35 kilometers from Eldoret, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 4, 2008. Kenya's opposition party called Friday...   (Associated Press)
Riot police patrol the slum of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, in an effort to prevent people taking the streets in mass protest, Saturday Jan. 5, 2008. Riot police are patrolling the slum in an effort to control the people and prevent protests against President Mwai Kibaki. (AP Photo/Riccardo Gangale)
Riot police patrol the slum of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, in an effort to prevent people taking the streets in mass protest, Saturday Jan. 5, 2008. Riot police are patrolling the slum in an effort to...   (Associated Press)
A police officer kicks a resident of the Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday Jan. 5, 2008. Some 300 people have been killed and 100,000 made homeless in violent protests and clashes since the vote. The turbulence has taken an ugly ethnic twist, with other tribes pitted against President Mwai...
A police officer kicks a resident of the Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday Jan. 5, 2008. Some 300 people have been killed and 100,000 made homeless in violent protests and clashes since the vote....   (Associated Press)
Supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga rally in the streets of Mombasa, Kenya, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. Several hundred gathered near a mosque to protest against President Kibaki's re-election. (AP Photo)
Supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga rally in the streets of Mombasa, Kenya, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. Several hundred gathered near a mosque to protest against President Kibaki's re-election. (AP...   (Associated Press)
Biscuits are handed out to children as they take shelter at a sports arena on the outskirts of the slum of Kibera, Nairobi, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. The leading U.S. diplomat for Africa, Jendayi Frazer met with Kenya's president and the opposition leader Saturday to encourage a peaceful resolution...
Biscuits are handed out to children as they take shelter at a sports arena on the outskirts of the slum of Kibera, Nairobi, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. The leading U.S. diplomat for Africa, Jendayi Frazer...   (Associated Press)
Children receive biscuits as they take shelter at a sports arena on the outskirts of the slum of Kibera, Nairobi, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
Children receive biscuits as they take shelter at a sports arena on the outskirts of the slum of Kibera, Nairobi, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)   (Associated Press)
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Kenya Prez: 'I'm ready to talk'
Associated Press

Mission to end the violence
Voice of America

What next for troubled country?
Guardian (UK)

100,000 could starve
Reuters

 
Kenya • diplomacy • diplomat • humanitarian crisis • Mwai Kibaki • Raila Odinga • Jendayi Frazer

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