In Kenya, Annan Denounces Violent 'Abuses'

Former UN head finds crisis 'tragic'; dozens more deaths reported
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST
In Kenya, Annan Denounces Violent 'Abuses'
Furniture and other belongings fill the yard of a church where dozens of families who had their houses burned down, or fled for safety, are now living, in Nakuru, Kenya, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008. Gunfire erupted in the town and young men vowed revenge as the death toll from two days of bloodshed in western...   (Associated Press)

Kofi Annan, in Kenya to mediate a settlement to the brutal conflict rocking the country, condemned the "gross and systematic abuses of human rights"  he had seen on a tour of the country's worst flashpoints, the BBC reports. Dozens more gruesome deaths were reported today. Annan spoke of displaced families and called on Kenyans to break the cycle of revenge.

The former UN chief toured areas where violence has taken a heavy toll, including the city of Nakuru, where hospitals today received the bodies of dozens of people burned to death or killed by machetes or arrows in gang fighting. At least 250,000 Kenyans have been driven from their homes since a disputed election in December plunged the country into crisis. (More Kofi Annan stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X