Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 6, 2008 2:26:15 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Kenya Gov't Linked to Militia

Posted Mar 5, 08 2:15 PM CST in World 

(Newser) – Kenya's government might have played a direct role in sanctioning recent ethnic violence. A source tells the BBC that senior officials met with the violent Mungiki militia, with the aim of recruiting the outlawed group as a "defense force" to help protect the ethnic Kikuyu population. In January, Mungiki thugs allegedly used machetes to attack non-Kikuyu in the Rift Valley.

The government denies the allegation, the BBC reports. "No such meetings took place at … any government office," says a spokesman, who also claims that the government took steps to stop the gang from making attacks. "The government stamped on them immediately," he said. A power-sharing deal was reached last week, and Kenya's parliament is set to reconvene tomorrow.

Source BBC

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Kenya Agrees to Create PM Post

    Feb 21, 08 9:43 AM CST
    Kenya Agrees to Create PM Post Kenya’s government agreed today to create a prime minister position for opposition leader  Raila Odinga—the narrow loser in a disputed election for president in December—in an effort to prevent a new round of violence from tearing the African nation apart. The details are still being hashed out, but a government negotiator promised the position would have real power. “We will not give anybody a hollow shell.” More »

  • Slain Kenyan Pol a Key to Peace

    Jan 30, 08 11:25 AM CST
    Slain Kenyan Pol a Key to Peace The Kenyan opposition lawmaker who was dragged from his car yesterday and shot to death could have been key to ending the ethnically charged turmoil, reports the New York Times, but his assassination instead further plunged the country into violent chaos. Melitus Mugabe Were had been working toward peace, able to bridge ethnic divides because of his Kikuyu wife. “Whoever did this has killed the dreams of many,” one friend said. More »

  • Pol's Death Sparks Kenya Battles

    Jan 29, 08 3:00 AM CST
    Pol's Death Sparks Kenya Battles Army helicopters fired on crowds to protect Kenyans fleeing bloodshed and mobs torched homes and people as violence escalated today in the wake of the killing of an opposition politician, the BBC reports. At least four people were killed in a Nairobi slum after a member of opposition leader Raila Odinga's party was apparently killed in his home nearby in the ethnic violence ripping apart the nation.  More »

  • 'Sickening Brutality' Spreads in Kenya

    Jan 27, 08 10:06 PM CST
    'Sickening Brutality' Spreads in Kenya Ethnic violence and revenge killing continued unchecked in western Kenya today, with at least 17 more people beaten, hacked, or burned to death by mobs engaged in what the BBC correspondent calls  "sickening brutality" since last month’s contested presidential election. The death toll is nearing 750, the BBC reports, as former UN chief Kofi Annan spent a sixth day in the conflict-ravaged country trying to negotiate a peace deal. More »

  • 8,000 Kenyans Killed by Cops, Lawyers Say

    Nov 25, 07 8:30 PM CST
    8,000 Kenyans Killed by Cops, Lawyers Say Kenyan cops have killed or fatally tortured more than 8,000 youth since 2002, human rights lawyers charged today. The deaths, along with 4,000 cases of missing men, are allegedly part of a state crackdown on the Mungiki—an outlawed sect the government blames for gang violence. Police have dismissed the report as “fictitious” and “a document not worth responding to.” More »

A member of a feared Kikuyu criminal gang, the Mungiki , threatens a man with a machete as they arrive at a Red Cross food distribution point to protect people receiving food aid, in the Kibera slum in...   (Associated Press)
Some of 37 arrested members alleged of taking part in a banned sect as they were taking oaths to join the deadly Mungiki gang are moved to a Police station in the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, Sunday Feb....   (Associated Press)
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki listens to former U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan after signing a power-sharing agreement with opposition leader Raila Odinga following weeks of bitter negotiations on how...   (Associated Press)
A member of a feared Kikuyu criminal gang, the Mungiki, brandishes machetes, as he and other members arrive at a Red Cross food distribution point to protect people receiving food aid, in the Kibera slum...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

Kenya  • Human Rights Watch  • Kikuyu  • ethnic violence  • militia  • Mungiki


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »