Kenya opposition calls off protests at Annan's request

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2008

NAIROBI (AFP) — Kenya's opposition on Wednesday called off mass rallies scheduled for the next day to protest disputed presidential polls, at the request of former UN chief Kofi Annan, in Kenya to mediate the crisis.

Police had banned the rallies due to follow three days of opposition protests last week which sparked clashes that killed some 80 people, bringing the overall death toll since the December 27 election to more than 780.

Annan was in Nairobi in the latest attempt to mediate the turmoil sparked by the disputed reelection of President Mwai Kibaki last month.

"At the request of Mr. Annan, we called off the mass action scheduled for tommorrow (Thursday), but that does not mean that we cannot call a new round of mass actions," said Orange Democratic...