Anyone Know Things About Kenya Or Kofi Annan?

[kaur_khalistani_lioness]

wjkk wjkf!

i need sangats help in knowing things about what is going on in Kenya, Kofi Annan? and if one should send a messge to our foreign minister etc as suggest by the information i read today

anyone aware of this? keepin up with it? (or are we busy fighting the nevr ending post fights on this forum with each other?)

Dear friends,

Kenya still teeters on the brink of disaster – today bullets are flying on the streets, with over 600 killed and 250,000 made homeless as government and opposition dispute the presidency. There's hope yet, as Kenyan civil society groups stand up for peace and justice -- but only dialogue and an independent review of the tainted election can end this crisis and prevent escalating violence.

The world can play a crucial role: by reinforcing the efforts of mediators like Kofi Annan, and refusing to recognize any government until it is legitimately established. 50,000 Avaaz members have already sent this message to our foreign ministers, and almost all have listened so far. But inside Kenya, hardline leaders are sowing conflict.

President Kibaki and opposition leader Odinga need to hear that international legitimacy will only come after a mediated resolution. To send this message, we're taking out a full page ad in The East African Standard, an influential Kenyan newspaper. The ad will list the number of messages we've sent to our governments - can we double its strength by sending 100,000 messages this week before the ad runs? Click below to see the ad, send your message and spread the word:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/kenya_free_and_fair/5.php

Kenya depends on international tourism, aid and trade. With both Odinga and Kibaki accepting Kofi Annan's mediation mission, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. It's not too late to help Kenya back from the brink -- send your message, spread the word today.

With hope,

Paul, Pascal, Galit, Ricken, Ben, Esra'a and the whole Avaaz team

PS - Here are some links to the latest news on Kenya -

Marches, violence:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2242178,00.html

Disputes over mediation:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200801141777.html

Tainted elections:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200801141360.html

[lakhvir]

waheguruji ka khalsa. waheguruji ki fateh.

i live in nairobi, the capital city of kenya and first hand news is that things are tense countrywide, but not as out-of-hand situation as the international media is portraying it to be. yes, there are concerns about the economical decline and general insecurity, but life is slowly returning back to normal, let aside the street battles between demonstrators (most of whom are just layabouts, jobless hooligans). general kenyans are tired of all this nonsense because kenyans are a typically peace-loving peoples. that is why the country has enjoyed relative peace prior to this situation. the current crisis is simply a hijacked moment by the selfish and thoughtless politicians who have placed the greed of the the top seat above the general well-being of the countrymen who voted peacefully for a better and promising future. i voted too, but i feel terribly cheated by both the ruling government who looted the elections and the opposition who is hell-bent on getting their grievances heard through national unrest.

the situation is nairobi is relatively calmer, though at this point protests on the streets have run into its third straight day. theer are few cars on the road as schools have had to close. roads leading to the city centre and slums are heavily guarded by the general service unit. businesses in the city centre have been ordered by the government to remain shut to protect them from a spree of looting (which happened over the past two weeks in both kisumu and mombasa – the other two main cities of kenya). the brunt of of all this chaos has been felt by the poor and week who have had to flee their homes and farms after having been targeted by tribal outbursts – scores have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. most businesses in kisumu (including that of a sikh - http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2241963,00.html) have been razed to the ground – out of sheer jealousy.

the national mass protests called out by the opposition have largely failed because what happened at two weeks ago so happened because of the holiday season. because businesses and schools were closed for the christmas and new year holidays, tensions were flared up by the election frauds and peoples' anger went out of hand – arson, rapes, killings and terror ripped through the country. common kenyans here want peace, they want nothing to do with the political stalemates – kenyans want to be left alone to go on with their lives, but the politicians have found that to be the weak point and taken advantage of it.

if i were to evaluate the future of kenya, this is what i predict: violence will cease, but general security will remain of concern. the politicians will end up battling it out on diplomatic grounds, though no international mediator (like kofi annan) will be listened to. kenyans will sort this out between themselves. the reason why kofi pulled out of the trip to kenya was not because of his reported 'bout of flu', but because he wanted to avoid an international embarrassment as his visit was unwelcome by the government. the ghanaian president who visited the country last week was reduced to nothing more than that of a messenger – take the message of the opposition to the government and vice versa). though the e.u. has slapped an aid ban, it is not likely to move the government because they are at a stage of 'we-could-care-less'. it will take the country many months to get back on track – tourism has collapsed in just a few days, businesses have been disrupted and tribal tensions have run at an all-time high. the opposition is now embarking on a national strike, targeted a paralysing the businesses owned by the government – which will lead to further decline in economic chaos and loss of jobs. this is all a domino effect. eventually, i guess, the opposition will be offered a deal by the government (which they will grab) but may have to live up with it until 2012 (the next elections) as the president will not step down (as demanded by the opposition). the opposition is currently demanding a power-sharing deal with the government, on condition of fresh presidential elections within three months. i particularly do not see this coming to happen because the government will never admit that they stole the elections, and the opposition will never accept that. so this stalemate will remain unsolved fully - for many months.

in my guess, kenya will come out better than it ever was – eventually – but the damage done to the trust of kenya's peoples will take much longer to undo. already, the asians are among those fearing for their well-being, who became the target of attack in the failed 1982 coup – asians homes and businesses were looted. this led to the beginning of a new, but quiet, exodus of the asians. the first major exodus happened in 1963 when kenya gained independence and the country's businesses began to be africanised. and now, reeling from the effects of the current crisis, it is likely that families in their hundreds will contemplate on moving away from here, once again. over the decades, the indian population has declined steadily, though it is still the highest in africa. there are tens of thousands of sikhs in kenya, but the numbers are dwindling. in a country where there is little to no asian representation in its political ground, the future of the asian minority is bleak for they have no one to fight for their rights and favour. there is no longer any asian m.p. in the government. a few did run for councillors of various areas in nairobi and kisumu and two or three have won, but they are not enough as they are far out-numbered by the tribal divide.

i have personally believed, like many others, that kenya is indeed a blessed country. this may seem like a paradox to knowing that as at this moment, paradise burns. this beautiful, hospitable and tropical country, endowed with breath-taking scenics and wildlife and beaches has only been taken advantage of by a political turmoil. but normalcy will return to paradise because God does not abandon His own. and that is what kenyans live on - the Grace of God.

as a sikh, i pray for the well-being of all - the oppressors and the oppressed. anyone on this board reading this post is humbly requested to do an ardas for kenya – for there is immense and immeasurable power in collective ardas and prayer.

waheguruji ka khalsa. waheguruji ki fateh.

[kaur_khalistani_lioness]

Thank u so much lakhvir singh ji

that helped a lot in understanding what is really happening. its sad to hear about troubles caused by power hungry lot!

what u hve written is exactly what i wanted to know..and getin it from someone who lives there makes it authentic

will do ardas and hope things get back tothe way people want um to be

god bless

wjkk wjkf!

[mann_kaum_layee_qurbaan]

wow, thanks for the first-hand account lakhvir singh.

it seems like Kenya's situation is very similar to India's. average people just want go on with their lives, but politicians play with people's religious and cultural emotions just for political power, which damages not only the country's stability, but creates an atmosphere of distrust which sometimes is irreversible.

well good luck and stay safe singh.

peace.

[Mehtab Singh]

From my knowledge, the common Indian suffers as much as anyone. Be he/she a Hindu/Muslim/Sikh, he/she suffers. A politician, whether it is Narendra Modi or Badal, so-called "Hindu" and "Sikh" respecively, lose nothing.