Call For Urgent AU Action On Kenya

http://www.namibian.com.na/2008/February/columns/08E301D1D3.html

Call For Urgent AU Action On Kenya

THE African Union (AU), meeting in Addis Ababa for its 10th ordinary session of the Assembly, would be both negligent and irresponsible if it did not come out with a strong statement and plan of action to tackle violent conflicts on the continent, Kenya and Sudan most specifically.
Already many have spoken out in condemnation of the most recent upsurge in violence in Kenya, and yet African leaders, with few exceptions, have remained silent.
Neither has our own Foreign Ministry issued any kind of statement, and save for the few words by President Hifikepunye Pohamba before his departure to the summit this week, our silence has again been ominous.
The summit, ironically called under the theme of 'Industrial Development in Africa', needs to urgently review the situation in Kenya particularly.
It is not encouraging to hear President Pohamba state that "we are all concerned by the violent conflicts in Darfur as well as the recent outbreak of violence in Kenya.
Although these issues are not part of the agenda, I doubt very much if the African leaders will end the summit without addressing these conflict issues".
How, one could ask, could such occurrences not be made not only part of the agenda, but on top of the agenda, without the AU looking foolish in the extreme? The violence that has erupted in Kenya after the December 27 election has already claimed the lives of an estimated 850 people, and shows no signs of abating, despite even efforts at intervention by former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
Aside from those killed and injured, is the displacement of more than a quarter of a million people.
The barbarism that has emerged has horrified many, including the African Editor's Forum which this week also called on President Mwai Kibaki as well as opposition leader, Raila Odinga, to exercise leadership to bring the carnage to an end or step aside to allow a new interim structure to emerge that would calm the situation and bring Kenya back from the abyss.
Under the circumstances, we wonder even whether the Kenyan head of state should even be present at the summit, while his country is in turmoil and loss of life is escalating.
But Africa's response, or rather non-response to the crisis, is indeed distressing.
In an opinion piece published on these pages today, economist Jeffrey Sachs bemoans also the response of the international community, most notably the United States (US), whose Assistant Secretary of State declared that the vote in the disputed Kenyan election could not be re-assessed by an independent tally.
She further suggested that there had been rigging 'on both sides' and suggested the true election results were very close and that 'perhaps Kibaki had won'.
Ironically an exit poll conducted by a US foundation suggested that Odinga had been the victor.
Whatever the case, there was no recount, and now the violence, which has also take on a distinctly ethnic character, is virtually out of control.
It is surely up to Kenya itself to save what remains of its democracy, but certainly the African Union and international community could play a constructive role by at the very least demanding an independent count.
If such a count established there was no clear winner, then there would be legitimacy in sharing power and/or calling for a new election.
Kenya and Kenyans must decide.
But the African Union and its membership, should in the meantime be unequivocally on the side of the Kenyan people and in defence of democracy, and at the very least, support a recount in order to put the dispute (at least on this point) to rest.
The Kenyan head of state and opposition leaders also need to take their leadership role extremely seriously in an attempt to bring the violence to an end.
It is imperative they do so.
The AU does not need to 'take sides', but ensure that an independent recount takes place to establish beyond doubt who the winner was, and if this remains unclear, to take the next step.
The Kenyan people though, have the right to insist that their votes count and that rigging has not given President Kibaki a fraudulent win.
We trust that our Government, represented at the summit by the President, our Foreign Minister and the Permanent Secretary, make our position very clear.