250,000 Kenyans displaced by post-election violence: UN

Nairobi, Jan 5 (Xinhua) The UN Saturday said between 400,000 and 500,000 people have been affected by the post-election violence in Kenya and about 250,000 Kenyans have been displaced.

The figures come as the world body's independent human rights experts expressed deep concern at the growing inter-ethnic conflict in Kenya, citing the deaths of dozens of civilians, including children and women, after a mob set fire to a church where they had taken sanctuary.

'In this regard, we are profoundly alarmed by the reports of incitement to racial hatred and the growing frictions between the different ethnic groups,' the experts said in a joint statement.

The rights experts called on all sides to rapidly end the violence that erupted after President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner over opposition leader Raila Odinga in the country's recent elections.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke over telephone Friday with President Kibaki and opposition leader Odinga, and called on them to resolve their issues through dialogue.

The violence, which has reportedly claimed at least 177 lives, erupted after Kibaki was declared the winner of last week's poll. Ban also spoke with Ghanaian President John Kufuor, current chairman of the African Union.

'In the light of historical precedents in the region, we strongly appeal to the Kenyan authorities, as well as political, ethnic and religious leaders, to put an end to what may become the dynamics of inter-ethnic killings,' they said.

The UN rights experts also called upon the international community, including the UN Security Council, to ' fulfill its responsibilities in this regard'.

The experts cited the tragic loss of life, the massive displacement, especially in the Rift Valley, which threatens enjoyment of the right to food, health, housing and education, and reports of gang rapes and the attendant likelihood of HIV infection.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it would shortly provide food through the Kenya Red Cross for 100,000 people displaced in the Northern Rift Valley.

The UN agency said that virtually all movement of food for both western Kenya and the entire region, including Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was frozen for days due to the insecurity.

Some 200 trucks were loaded with WFP food in the Kenyan port of Mombasa from a ship that arrived over Christmas carrying 30,000 metric tonnes - enough to feed 1.5 million people for a month - for Uganda, southern Sudan, Somalia and the eastern DRC.

(c) Indo-Asian News Service

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