Kenyan police fired bullets in the air and tear gas at an opposition funeral procession yesterday as political strife claimed more lives, adding to the urgency of a new mediation mission by former UN chief Kofi Annan.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga fled the scene after the latest disturbance in the Kenyan capital, which has seen weeks of deadly unrest since the reelection of President Mwai Kibaki on Dec. 30.
Six people were killed late on Tuesday in western Kenya and another man in the Mathare slum of Nairobi, police said, taking the overall death toll to more than 780. They include international marathon runner Wesley Ngetich, 34, who was killed by a poisoned arrow on Monday.
PHOTO: AFP
Riot police fired tear gas at hundreds of opposition supporters taking part in the funeral procession as some chanted political slogans and blocked traffic.
At least 13 coffins carrying victims killed during opposition protests were laid out on tables, where mourners gathered for a mass.
Odinga and other opposition leaders were in a funeral tent when the tear gas was fired. They sped off in their vehicles as angry rock-throwing protesters clashed with police in a street nearby.
After the funeral rally was broken up, an angry mob set up a roadblock as police fired more tear gas and bullets in the air, resulting in running battles.
A local telecommunications exchange was set on fire in the chaos, an AFP correspondent said.
"Firefighters are battling the fire, over 20 vehicles were stoned, several people wounded and officers have fired live ammunition and tear gas to disperse them," a police commander said.
"This was a peaceful demonstration to honor the buried and now the police starts firing rubber bullets and tear gas. Now we are angry, these peace talks cannot succeed," said Joseph Ngira, a 27-year-old protester.
Before his first talks with Kenya's feuding factions, Annan said he had no miracle answer to the unrest.
The opposition had indicated before the latest unrest that it was ready to call off demonstrations planned for today if Annan requested this at a meeting scheduled for later yesterday.
Annan said he would "count on the will, maturity, resourcefulness and judgment of the leaders" to bring them to talks.
"We expect all parties to enter into dialogue in good faith, and to seize this opportunity to end the suffering and uncertainty that has plagued the lives of Kenyans everywhere," he told reporters after arriving on Tuesday. "There can be no solution without genuine dialogue."
The African Union's Peace and Security Council on Tuesday condemned "gross violations of human rights" in Kenya and called for an investigation, which was also supported by the UN.
The World Bank and African Development Bank said they would review funding to Kenya if leaders fail to halt the crisis that has crippled the once-vibrant economy.
About 260,000 people have fled their homes because of the violence, which has shattered Kenya's image as a haven of stability in the region and dealt a huge blow to east Africa's biggest economy.
Also See: Kenyan marathon runner slain with arrow
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
CYBERSCAM: Anne, an interior decorator with mental health problems, spent a year and a half believing she was communicating with Brad Pitt and lost US$855,259 A French woman who revealed on TV how she had lost her life savings to scammers posing as Brad Pitt has faced a wave of online harassment and mockery, leading the interview to be withdrawn on Tuesday. The woman, named as Anne, told the Seven to Eight program on the TF1 channel how she had believed she was in a romantic relationship with the Hollywood star, leading her to divorce her husband and transfer 830,000 euros (US$855,259). The scammers used fake social media and WhatsApp accounts, as well as artificial intelligence image-creating technology to send Anne selfies and other messages
RSS