By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa
NAIROBI, Kenya – Genocide Watch called a Genocide Alert Tuesday in Kenya, claiming that genocidal massacres are taking place daily in Kenya in the wake of the disputed election of President Mwai Kibaki. President Kibaki is a member of the ethnic Kikuyu ethnic group, and his opponent Mr. Raila Odinga is a member of the Luo ethnic group.
Ethnic riots have broken out in numerous places throughout Kenya and hundreds of people have been murdered. On Tuesday a church in Eldoret was locked and the people inside were burned to death by the mob. According to Genocide Watch, people “have been pulled from their cars and their identification cards checked for their names, which symbolizes their ethnic identity, and then killed if they belong to groups being targeted.”
While Kenya has not yet descended into an actual genocide, Genocide Watch claims the ethnic massacres are an indicator that a genocide could be in the preparation stage.
President Kibaki has accused his political opponent of organizing and unleashing the genocide. Mr. Odinga’s supports, on the other hand, blame the violence on Mr. Kibaki, saying he provoked the incidents by “stealing” the election on 27 December.
While Kibaki’s Kikuyu tribe was immediately targeted, retaliatory killings by the Kikuyu are on the rise in the mayhem. Rights groups say the violence has been exacerbated by a police crackdown on rioting and looting.
The international community has placed pressure on surrounding countries and the African Union to mediate between Kibaki and Odinga. Odinga has plans for a mass rally on Thursday, which has been banned by the government on security grounds.
Kenya has been a largely stable country and is an important ally to the West in its counter-terrorism efforts. Kenya is usually the peacemaker in African hot spots such as Somalia and Sudan, rather than the conflict focus. Independent from Britain since 1963, the Kikuyu have dominated the political and business life in East Africa’s biggest and fastest-growing economy. However, many of Kenya’s 42 tribes accuse the Kikuyu of shutting out others from business and politics, an accusation the Kikuyu deny.
For more information, please see:
Genocide Watch – Genocide Watch: Kenya – 1 January 20008
Reuters Africa – Kenya government denounces “genocide” as toll hits 300 – 2 January 2008
Telegraph (UK) – Kenya on the brink amid ‘genocide’ claims – 2 January 2008
International Herald Tribune – Gangs of Nairobi’s slums turn political dispute ethnic; concerns politicians can’t bring calm – 2 January 2008
BBC News – Kenyans plead for end to violence – 2 January 2008
