Nigerian Diplomat
Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji from Nigeria is expected to arrive today (February 19) to assist former UN chief Kofi Annan in the mediation efforts. Mr Adeniji is a former Nigerian minister and UN official.
The African chapter of the Human Rights Watch has said a political agreement in Kenya was a step forward, but politicians must take immediate steps to ensure accountability for human rights violations for further negotiations to build lasting stability.
The group said that the country’s record of impunity for past episodes of political violence, particularly during the 1992 and 1997 elections, had directly contributed to the current crisis.
At least 1,000 people have died while 350,000 have been displaced by violence following the controversial December 2007 presidential elections.
The violence has, however, turned away from the election and is now more between communities, with past injustices such a land grabbing and inequality taking centre stage.
Human Rights Watch researchers in Kenya were earlier reported to have documented several patterns of serious abuses, including extrajudicial killings and excessive use of force by the police.
They also reported ethnic-based attacks and reprisals by militia groups on both sides of the political divide.
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