Kenyan death toll to rise, aid agencies warn
Last Updated: Monday, January 14, 2008 | 5:47 AM ET
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The death toll from more than two weeks of election-related violence in Kenya is nearing 600, aid agencies in the African country said Monday.
Officials with the local Red Cross told Reuters it had verified 575 deaths on Friday and expected that number to rise by the end of the day Monday. Earlier estimates had placed the death toll at 500.
As many as 250,000 people have also been internally displaced by the violence, which was sparked after President Mwai Kibaki was re-elected in a disputed Dec. 27 vote. Supporters of both Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga claim the vote was rigged, while the country's own electoral head has said he can't verify the results.
Former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan is due to arrive in Kenya Tuesday to begin a fresh round of negotiations with Kibaki and Odinga.
Kibaki, 76, has said he's willing to arrange a power-sharing deal, but Odinga, 63, wants a new election.
Last week, African Union head John Kufuor failed to bring the two sides together during two days of talks. After that failure, opposition leaders called for three days of nationwide anti-government protests beginning on Wednesday. Police have said they will not allow the demonstrations.
Western democracy unsuitable, says China
Also Monday, China's official state newspaper published a commentary saying Kenya's election-related violence is proof Western-style democracy is a bad fit for African nations.
"Western-style democratic theory simply isn't suited to African conditions, but rather carries with it the root of disaster," said the paper, the official mouthpiece of China's ruling Communist party.
The editorial blames Africa's former colonial masters for "tyrannically" imposing Western democratic systems on countries that already had their own decision-making systems in place.
"Colonialism is the chief culprit, the fuse that sparks ethnic conflict," the paper said.
China has been criticized for its friendly relations with authoritarian African leaders in countries such as Zimbabwe and Sudan.
With files from the Associated PressShare Tools
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