CHRONOLOGY: Kenya in crisis after disputed elections

Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:33am EST
 
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(Reuters) - Protests erupted in west Kenya and machete-wielding mobs faced off in the Rift Valley on Monday after dozens were killed in ethnic violence that complicated mediation efforts by former U.N. boss Kofi Annan.

Here is a chronology of the crisis:

Dec 27 - Voters elect a new president and parliament.

Dec 30 - The Electoral Commission declares Kibaki winner of the presidential election, he is hurriedly sworn in.

-- Raila Odinga's opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) wins the biggest number of seats in the parliamentary election.

Dec 31 - Streets are flooded with security forces and a ban on live TV broadcasts after riots convulse the nation is maintained.

Jan 1 - A mob sets fire to a church, killing about 30 villagers from Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe.

Jan 2 - The government accuses Odinga's backers of "ethnic cleansing" as the death toll from tribal violence rises.

Jan 4 - Kibaki says he will accept a re-run of the disputed election if a court orders it.

-- The United Nations says the unrest has uprooted 250,000 people.

Jan 5 - Kibaki says he is ready to form a government of national unity to end the turmoil, but the opposition rejects the offer.

Jan 7 - Odinga calls off planned protests after meeting U.S. envoy Jendayi Frazer, saying the mediation process will begin.

Jan 8 - Kibaki announces 17 ministers for his new cabinet. Protesters respond by building and burning barricades in Odinga's western stronghold, Kisumu.

-- John Kufuor, African Union chairman and president of Ghana, arrives in Nairobi to mediate.

Jan 10 - Kufuor leaves Kenya saying both sides have agreed to work together with an African panel headed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Kibaki and Odinga, amid recriminations, have not met or agreed how to end the crisis.

Jan 11 - The ODM calls for international sanctions against Kibaki.  Continued...

 

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