Tribal Violence Chokes Off Food Supply

Jan 05, 07:33 AM

By Robyn Dixon

Los Angeles Times

NAIROBI, Kenya

As many as 100,000 Kenyans face starvation in western Kenya because of election-related tribal violence, the World Food Program warned Friday, as rivals in last week's disputed presidential vote showed no willingness to talk.

Kenya's opposition party demanded new presidential elections Friday as thousands of hungry slum-dwellers swamped aid workers after days of deadly riots over the disputed vote cut supplies of groceries and water.

A spokesman for President Mwai Kibaki said there would only be a rerun of the Dec. 27 election if a court orders it. Kenya's high court, which can annul the vote and force a new one, was largely appointed by Kibaki.

"The government doesn't reject or accept this," spokesman Alfred Mutua told The Associated Press. "Only the court can call for the rerun of the election."

Kibaki won a second term in the election, but international observers say the vote tally was flawed. His rival, Raila Odinga, accused him of stealing the election.

Opposition accusations of vote-rigging in the election triggered tribal violence, which has killed about 300 people. European Union observers said the vote failed to meet democratic standards. On Friday, the Daily Nation newspaper called on Kibaki and Odinga to "make peace happen."

"Despite the words of concern by both sides about the dangerous situation in Kenya and public statements that they are ready for dialogue, belligerence is still drowning out voices of reason," according to an editorial in the newspaper.

Violence ebbed in Nairobi's slum districts and many areas across the country Friday, and only a few opposition demonstrators turned out to try to march to Nairobi for an opposition rally. In the coastal city of Mombasa, police fired tear gas to disperse more than 1,000 protesters.

But opposition supporters remain angry over claims the election was rigged, and there is still a high level of tribal tension. More than 180,000 Kenyans have fled their homes because of tribal violence, the United Nations reported, and 500,000 will need aid in the coming month, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which launched a $15 million appeal Friday.

The Rift Valley in the west, where 100,000 people are in critical need of food, has seen tens of thousands flee some of the country's worst violence, including the burning of a church near Eldoret, an attack that killed about 35 people.

"The level of hatred is very high. Violence of tribal origin is the worst - it knows no limits and is extremely difficult to quell," said Alexandre Liebeskind, deputy head of Red Cross operations for the Horn of Africa.

The failure to find a rapid solution poses another threat to Kenya: With its image as a haven of stability in Africa shattered, the country's billion-dollar tourist industry has been hit hard.

The U.S. envoy on Africa, Jendayi Frazer, flew to Nairobi on Friday to try to bring the two sides together. Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu, who has met with both candidates, said he hoped the crisis could be settled.

The World Food Program plans to distribute food soon through the Red Cross, but 75 truckloads carrying 2,500 tons of food were stranded in Kenyan cities because of poor security in the countryside.

Armed gangs from different tribes have thrown up roadblocks, and only convoys with military protection can move freely.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

violence

Opposition accusations of vote-rigging in the election triggered tribal violence, which has killed about 300 people.

Photo feature Drama unfolds in Kenya. Eyewitness, Page 13

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