Ban Ki-moon to send top UN humanitarian official to Kenya – 5 Feb 08

Ban Ki-moon to send top UN humanitarian official to Kenya

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

5 February 2008 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced plans to dispatch his top humanitarian official to Kenya, where more than 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to violence which has torn through the East African nation following last December’s disputed elections. “With our partners, we have been able to meet the initial basic needs of displaced populations, totalling around 310,000 IDPs [internally displaced persons] spread over 192 sites in the western and central provinces,” Mr. Ban told reporters after briefing a closed meeting of the Security Council today on his recent visit to Africa.

U.N. council deplores Kenya violence, backs Annan – 31 Jan 08

U.N. council deplores Kenya violence, backs Annan

Thu 31 Jan 2008, 0:43 GMT

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By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council  on Wednesday deplored the post-election violence in Kenya and expressed support for former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s efforts to mediate between the country’s president and his main opposition rival.

A month of political and ethnic violence has killed 850 people in Kenya since President Mwai Kibaki was returned to power in a Dec. 27 election that brought widespread charges of vote rigging and set off a wave of instability and protest.

“Council members deplored the continuing violence following the disputed elections in Kenya,” the council’s president, Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi of Libya, said in a statement.

UN genocide adviser urges end to violence in Kenya, sends staffer there – 28 Jan 08

UN genocide adviser urges end to violence in Kenya, sends staffer there

28 January 2008 – The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide today called for an immediate halt to the destructive cycle of attacks and revenge attacks in Kenya, where post-electoral violence continues to claim lives, and announced plans to dispatch a staff member there. Francis Deng urged national and local leaders on all sides to publicly call for an end to the violence and to statements inciting violence, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.