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Kenyan riot town counts its dead
Monday, 28 January 2008, 05:48 GMT
Red Cross workers are bracing for the grim task of counting the
dead in the Rift Valley town of Naivasha, scene of Kenya's latest
post-election violence.
They said they could not establish a proper toll until they had
searched the charred remains of burnt houses after a day on which
at least 19 people died.
Troops have restored some order but fear still grips the town,
reports say.
The Rift Valley saw dozens killed this weekend and the national
death toll since the December polls is nearly 800.
Members of President Mwai Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe have been fighting
with Luos and Kalenjins who backed his rival Raila Odinga in the
election.
Mr Odinga accuses Mr Kibaki of stealing the vote and has refused
to recognise the result.
Visiting former UN chief Kofi Annan has told them both they must
act quickly to restore calm or face the threat of Kenya descending
even further into murder and chaos.
The BBC's Adam Mynott says the Rift Valley saw horrific acts of
violence this weekend and the threat of reprisals has put
thousands in grave danger.
Screams in the night
A Reuters reporter in Naivasha heard screams late into Sunday
night as mobs stopped cars on the main highway and demanded
passengers' identity cards.
The town is about 60km (35 miles) south of Nakuru, also scene of
recent tribal violence.
One man was beaten before being kicked under the wheels of a
minibus as it sped to safety, the agency reports.
Reporters saw bodies lying among the charred remains of one house.
As the Kenya Red Cross waited to move into Naivasha,
secretary-general Abbas Gullet said his workers faced menacing
roadblocks in the area.
"My staff were this morning quite frightened to say they were
going out because they said there were road blocks, road blocks
everywhere in Naivasha town and all the highway," he said on
Sunday.
Mr Annan has called for the army to be deployed in conflict areas.
The head of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar Konare, said
the whole continent should act fast to end the violence.
"We in Africa cannot turn a blind eye when a tragedy is unfolding
around us," he told African foreign ministers gathered in Ethiopia
ahead of an AU summit this week.
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