KENYA - Post-Election Violence in Kenya Affects Women: WEDO
Calls for Urgent Action
Kenya has long been considered
Africa's most stable country, but violence has swept through the country since
opposition leaders disputed the Dec. 27th re-election of President Mwai Kibaki.
"This is a country that has been held up as a model of stability,"
said South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu to BBC. "This picture has been
shattered."
BBC News noted on January 7th that
600 people have been killed and 250,000 people have "fled their homes in
clashes between rival political supporters, ethnic groups and the police."
The Red Cross has declared
the situation a humanitarian "national disaster". "Women in
particular have been targeted," said Irin News Africa last week, noting
that at least one hospital reported treating more than double the average of
rape victims in one day. (Photo borrowed from Irin News online: A woman fleeing to Uganda for refuge.)
The opposition leader, Raila Odinga,
called off protests today, saying he hoped international mediation could solve
the problem. "We are now assured that the mediation process is about to start,"
Mr Odinga said after meeting Washington's top Africa official, Jendayi Frazer.
"We are therefore informing our supporters countrywide that there will be
no public rallies [on Tuesday]." President of Ghana and African Union
Chair John Kufuor will arrive in Kenya today to mediate.
Nevertheless, both sides have accused the other of ethnic
cleansing over the last week of violence, and a quarter of a million people are
in need of food, tents and medicine.
WEDO calls
upon women leaders and activists to intervene in this crisis. Please read
our Call
to Action and email lucy@wedo.org to add
your endorsement.
To our partners, colleagues and friends in the
region, we extend our wishes for safety and peace.
For up-to-date information, please see Kenya's newspaper
site, The Daily
Nation, or other sources such as BBC and Irin News.