Kenya's opposition said Wednesday it is suspending weeks of protests to allow for talks with the government after a heavy police crackdown, but warned they would return if no action was taken.
Protests organised by the CORD party began last month aimed at forcing a change of leadership at the country's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of polls due next year.
Police said three people died in western Kenya in the protest on Monday, two from gunshot wounds and one falling over while running from tear gas. Several officers were wounded, hit by rocks. Riot police equipped with shields and batons used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters
A dozen of Kenya's biggest donors including Britain, the European Union and United States, as well as the UN, warned on Tuesday they were deeply concerned by the escalation of violence and called for talks.
CORD said that if there are "no concrete steps towards dialogue" they will resume weekly protests on Monday June 6, warning the demonstration "will only get more intense."
CORD leader Raila Odinga believes the commission is biased, blaming it for his defeat by President Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2013 vote. CORD accused the government to trying to turn Kenya into a "police state."
"We remain ready for and committed to dialogue as the best path out of the crisis facing our nation," CORD added, repeating its condolences for those killed and condemning "the brutality meted out."
The 2013 election nonetheless passed off peacefully, in contrast to the country's disputed 2007 elections which degenerated into fierce inter-ethnic violence that killed more than 1,100 people after Odinga's supporters challenged his defeat by Mwai Kibaki.
The next election is shaping up as a rematch of 2013, with 71-year-old Odinga aiming to unseat Kenyatta, 54.
Kenya’s opposition said Wednesday it is suspending weeks of protests to allow for talks with the government after a heavy police crackdown, but warned they would return if no action was taken.
Protests organised by the CORD party began last month aimed at forcing a change of leadership at the country’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of polls due next year.
Police said three people died in western Kenya in the protest on Monday, two from gunshot wounds and one falling over while running from tear gas. Several officers were wounded, hit by rocks. Riot police equipped with shields and batons used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters
A dozen of Kenya’s biggest donors including Britain, the European Union and United States, as well as the UN, warned on Tuesday they were deeply concerned by the escalation of violence and called for talks.
CORD said that if there are “no concrete steps towards dialogue” they will resume weekly protests on Monday June 6, warning the demonstration “will only get more intense.”
CORD leader Raila Odinga believes the commission is biased, blaming it for his defeat by President Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2013 vote. CORD accused the government to trying to turn Kenya into a “police state.”
“We remain ready for and committed to dialogue as the best path out of the crisis facing our nation,” CORD added, repeating its condolences for those killed and condemning “the brutality meted out.”
The 2013 election nonetheless passed off peacefully, in contrast to the country’s disputed 2007 elections which degenerated into fierce inter-ethnic violence that killed more than 1,100 people after Odinga’s supporters challenged his defeat by Mwai Kibaki.
The next election is shaping up as a rematch of 2013, with 71-year-old Odinga aiming to unseat Kenyatta, 54.
