More bloodshed as Kenya violence rages
- 00:01:57
- ITN
More bloodshed as Kenya violence rages
Travel companies in the UK are continuing to cancel holidays in Kenya as tensions remain high in the strife-torn country.The Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) extended until Monday a halt on trips to the country, popular for sand-and-safari breaks.Monday is a major return-home day for UK tourists and holiday airlines are sending additional planes to the East African country to bring people back.Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga are engaged in a political stand-off over a disputed December 27 election that has sparked unrest killing 300 people and affecting economies around the region.Mr Kibaki has refused to meet his rival, the leader of the Orange Democratic Movement, until Mr Odinga formally concedes defeat in the election.However Attorney General Amos Wako added his voice to growing doubts about the validity of the poll results and called for "an independent person or body" to confirm the disputed tally.Foreign observers and Kenyan human rights groups have questioned the vote count, as has the chief of the nation's electoral commission.The impasse and escalation of violence prompted South African Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu to fly into the country to appeal for peace and to try and find some common ground between both sides.After a meeting with Mr Kibaki he indicated that there may be room for negotiation."The president was not averse to the formation of coalitions - but clearly there has to be an acceptance that there is a governing authority in the country," said Archbishop Tutu."There is a great deal of hope since both the Orange Democratic Movement and government have indicated they are open to negotiations. They are still putting conditions, but I think there is this eagerness."© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.
ITN | January 4, 2008
