[QODLink]
Africa
US bans Kenyans 'behind violence'
Talks falter between rival sides as sporadic violence continues.
Last Modified: 07 Feb 2008 23:03 GMT
Louis Michel met Odinga, right, and
Kibaki to aid reconciliation [AFP]

The US has banned 10 Kenyans who were allegedly behind ethnic violence since disputed elections in the African nation.
 
US officials announced the move on Thursday, with the British foreign office saying that it may follow suit.
 
The ban on entry to the US is seen as a possible incentive for Kenyan figures to resolve the country's dispute.
The US said that those banned included five politicians and five prominent businesspeople, but would not elaborate.
 
The decision adds extra pressure on negotiations taking place in Kenya between government and opposition parties trying to find a resolution to the crisis over disputed elections.
Kofi Annan, the former UN chief is leading the talks in the capital, Nairobi, between negotiators for Mwai Kibaki, the president, and Raila Odinga, the opposition leader.
 
A joint statement on Thursday from the mediation teams said progress had been slow.
 
'Arming militias'
 
The opposition has accused the government of arming tribal militias who were involved in ethnic violence in the country.
 
Your Views

"This election has been traumatic for Kenya. The major tribes in the country will have to overcome the feelings of fear and domination"

Mabraham, Toronto, Canada

Send us your views

A Kenyan government spokesman denied the accusations voiced by the secretary general for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), saying they were irrational. He warned that they might have undermined dialogue between the two sides.
 
The joint statement said that addressing the core issue of overcoming the political crisis had "proved divisive at times".
 
Annan has given 15 days since talks began on January 29 to find a solution.
 
Political issues are proving to be the sticking points after security and humanitarian issues were initially dealt with.
 
Separately, Louis Michel, the EU development commissioner, said the opposing parties have showed signs of flexibility in the talks.
 
Michel, part of an EU delegation currently visiting the capital, held a meeting with the Kenyan president, the opposition leader and Annan and urged them to continue their efforts.
 
Continued violence
 
Further clashes have been seen in the northwestern region of Trans Nzoia on Wednesday and into Thursday morning.
 
Police said that 15 people were hacked to death in an area known for ethnic rivalries before the elections.
 
That number is added to another 34 people who have died since the start of the week.
 
Police said their forces killed at least nine people when trying to stop gangs torching properties.
 
The opposition claims that the December elections were rigged. Since that time, violence has led to over 1,000 deaths and displaced about 300,000 according to the Red Cross.
 
Ethnic clashes have emerged between Kibaki's tribe, the Kikuyu, and Odinga's Luo tribe.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
Topics in this article
People
Country
Featured on Al Jazeera
In the frozen peaks of Afghanistan's Kunar province, a ferocious clash for supremacy rages amid the mountaintops.
Indigenous community with "third world conditions" sits 90km from diamond mine, prompting fight for resource royalties.
There is a unique and dangerous commerce system at work in Amazonia, where children risk their lives for a few pennies.
Organisations that influence social, cultural and political issues in the US have been hijacked by the far right.
<  > 
join our mailing list

Enter Zip Code
Go