January 14, 2008
Kenya Death Toll Mounts On Eve Of Annan Visit
Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is headed to Kenya tomorrow to try to lend assistance in the escalating conflict over disputed presidential elections. Violence in the usually peaceful east African country has created hundreds of thousands of refugees and killed more than 600 people, and three days of national protests starting Wednesday could spark more bloodshed.
Last week, negotiators from the U.S. and the African Union left the country without any resolution. The new round of talks led by Annan will try to bring Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his challenger Raila Odinga closer together; in the previous round, the two men refused to meet and blamed each other for the collapse of the talks. The government has already rejected Annan's mediation mission.
Reuters explains the opposing positions of the political factions, and AP has more details on the conflict.
