Kufuor Calls For Dialogue in Kenya

British PM talks to Kufuor Over Crisis
Accra, Jan. 01, GNA-President John Agyekum Kufuor, on Tuesday expressed deep regrets about the unfortunate scenes of violence in Kenya, following the recent Presidential Elections in the country.

In a statement signed by the Secretary to the President, Mr. D.K Osei, the President, who is also the current Chairman of the African Union appealed to President Mwai Kibaki and Mr. Raila Odinga to urgently resort to dialogue and constitutional processes, to resolve the crisis in Kenya.

The President, particularly appealed to the two experienced and responsible political leaders "to restrain their supporters to avert further violent clashes which could only lead to the destabilization of the great country, Kenya."

Meanwhile British Prime minister, Gordon Brown, spoke to president John Kufuor, chairman of the African Union, and Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, head of the Commonwealth observer mission in Kenya, about overseeing a process of reconciliation.

In a statement, he said: "I am gravely concerned by the situation in Kenya."

As violence escalated in Kenya, Mr Brown went on: "I have urged both Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga to exercise restraint and responsible leadership.

"Following my discussions with them, with President Kufuor of Ghana, and with former president Kabbah of Sierra Leone, I welcome President Kuffuor's decision to help with a process of dialogue and reconciliation.

"This offers an opportunity to stop the violence and to help Kenyans unite. Presidents Kufuor and Kabbah have my unstinting support in this essential task."

Kenyans burned to death in church

The violence that has erupted in Kenya following the election of President Mwai Kibaki to a second term has claimed at least another 50 lives after a mob torched a church that was sheltering Kenyans looking to escape the chaos.

Shortly after Kibaki won a controversial vote over opposition leader Raila Odinga protesters took to the streets in Nairobi and surrounding cities, setting fires and overturning cars, demanding justice for what they called a fraudulent election.

Since Sunday’s announcement that Kibaki won the country’s closest election ever more than 260 people have died and countless have been injured. Many of those killed have come at the hands of police and military who have been said to have the authority to use as much force as necessary to quell the crowds.

Tuesday’s church fire did not involve the police but rather an angry mob who targeted the building in Eldoret, about 185 miles from Nairobi.
The violence thus far may only be a sign of what’s to come as Odinga has already called on more than one million protesters to march on Thursday. That march has been outlawed by Kibaki but Odinga has said it will proceed.