By Prensa Latina
Addis Ababa : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and African Union Commission Chair Alpha Oumar Konare urged Kenya’s political rivals on Thursday to end violence in that country.
During the Summit of Heads of States and Governments of the 53 AU members in Addis Ababa, Ban said the leaders of Kenya are responsible for solving the crisis peacefully, after the second opposition parliament member was shot to death on Thursday.
He said he would meet later with President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Konare declared that what is happening in Kenya “should make us take action and not remain waiting.”
At the continental biannual top level meeting, which will last until Saturday, there was a call for the sides involved in the conflict to act responsibly.
The eastern African country is undergoing a serious political crisis, expressed in street disturbances and assassination of political rivals as well as clashes with security forces, so far this has caused the death of 800 people and generated a wave of 250,000 emigrants.
The situation unleashed after Kibaki’s reelection was announced, which was rejected as fraudulent by the opposition, headed by Odinga.
Odinga and his Orange Democratic Movement accused the president of a fraudulent vote count, and rejected any understanding with him, despite mediation by the acting AU president.
UN former Secretary General Kofi Annan is currently leading mediation between the sides involved in the conflict.