African Union Mission in Kenya Fails

An African Union mission to halt the civil unrest in Kenya after its disputed election has failed. President Mwai Kibaki and opposition chief Raila Odinga blame each other for the failure. Ghanaian President John Kufuor, who doubles as the AU chairman, did say, “Both sides agreed there should be an end to the violence and they also agreed there should be dialogue,” but then he left for the airport and went home.

President Kufuor also noted, “The parties agreed to work together with a panel of eminent African personalities headed by Mr. Kofi Annan ... towards resolving their differences and all other outstanding issues including constitutional and electoral reforms.” Mr. Annan has the gravitas to get things moving in a more peaceful direction, but it is doubtful that Messrs. Kibaki and Odinga are prepared to yield their fundamental points.

For Mr. Kibaki, that means remaining as president while the discussions about the country’s future go on. He has already named a cabinet, which has added to the anger of Mr. Odinga’s faction. Although there are some minor slots still vacant, which could be given to the opposition, Mr. Kibaki has made it clear that he intends to be president of the country as a sine qua non.

Mr. Odinga’s attitude is exactly the opposite. Claiming that the election was stolen, he believes there is no justification for Mr. Kibaki to claim the office. According to a draft agreement that Mr. Kibaki refused to sign, the Odinga faction wants “a credible, independent and impartial investigation into the issues arising from the elections; to determine whether a re-run of the elections is necessary; [and] if so, to provide a time-frame for recommendations on the structure of government up until the re-run.”

The Annan effort has yet to get off the ground, and President Kufuor is back in Ghana. Events in Kenya will now unfold more at the street level between police and protesters rather than in conference rooms and five-star hotels. The tear gas and blood that could lie ahead could be the end of Kenya as a stable nation.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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