Choppers rain bullets on crowds as Kenyan toll soars

[WhiteFeather]

http://www.independent.ie/world-news...s-1277025.html

Choppers rain bullets on crowds as Kenyan toll soars

ARMY helicopters strafed crowds with machine-gun fire and police struggled to separate rival gangs yesterday as Kenya endured yet more violence.


About 100 people have been killed since Saturday, bringing the number of deaths in the wave of tribal bloodshed since last month's disputed election towards 900.

With vital roads blocked and tourists staying away, Kenya's economy is suffering. Chaos in East Africa's richest and best developed country threatens the entire region.

Near the tourist town of Naivasha, about 600 terrified people cowered inside a small police outpost. They were from the Luo tribe, as is Raila Odinga, the opposition leader. Outside were about 600 men armed with machetes from the Kikuyu tribe of President Mwai Kibaki.

At first, Kikuyus were the main victims of the violence as Luos and other smaller tribes, notably the Kalenjin, sought revenge for Mr Kibaki's victory in what they believe was a rigged election. Now Kikuyus are striking back.

Many of the Luo refugees had been driven from their homes over the weekend. Now, with only one armed policeman to protect them, they faced murder at the hands of the Kikuyu mob.

Unable to offer protection, police summoned three army helicopters. These swept low over the Kikuyu crowd, firing bursts from their machine-guns. This spread panic, forcing the crowd to disperse.

The pilots seem to have been firing not to kill but to intimidate and scatter the mob. They do not appear to have inflicted any casualties.

Angelina Anyango (19) gave birth to her first son hours before she fled her home for the safety of the police post.

Lucky

"There were 50 men with machetes and bows and arrows who were chasing us from house to house,'' she said, comforting her three-day-old son. "All of our neighbours are lost. We hear they are dead. I am lucky the baby has survived. He is all we have now, our house is burnt, our property is stolen.''

Later, Mrs Anyango was evacuated to Naivasha police station, on a hill above the shimmering lake which once drew tourists.

Elsewhere, riot police struggled to keep rival groups apart in Nairobi's slums and tear gas was fired in the western city of Kisumu, a Luo stronghold.

The fighting has brought a host of grievances to the fore. Kikuyus are blamed for taking over land in western Kenya, which has historically been farmed by the Luos and Kalenjins. Thousands of Kikuyu families have been displaced across the west.

Now some Kikuyus are striking back by trying to clear other tribes from their heartland in central Kenya. "They have sent our people out of the west, so we will now send them away from here,'' said Christmas Kariuki, a 25-year-old Kikuyu, who boasted that he had burned down houses owned by Luos.

So far, all attempts to mediate talks between President Kibaki and Mr Odinga have failed. Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, brought the two sides together yesterday. But no agreement emerged.

[sjl127]

Did you hear about the new car produced by Kenyan?

It's called the Machete. It hacks its way through crowded streets.