Machete-wielding young slum dwellers in Nairobi hurled stones at police who fired tear gas and gunshots on a second day of opposition protests yesterday. Across most of the edgy East African nation, though, demonstrations appeared to be losing steam.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga called for three days of demonstrations. Turnout has been low, though, and there were few of the serious clashes, some pitting members of the president's Kikuyu people against other ethnic groups, that characterized protests immediately after results from the disputed Dec. 27 election were announced.
"Our rallies will continue until the government sits down with us and seeks a solution," opposition spokesman Salim Lone said. ``Calling off rallies would be admitting defeat to those who first stole the presidential election and are now killing innocent protesters on sight.''
Speaking to reporters, government spokesman Alfred Mutua repeated Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's position the opposition should take its grievances to court and said Kibaki's administration "is very open to dialogue."
Riots and ethnic killings in the wake of the disputed vote have marred Kenya's image as a stable democratic oasis in a war-ravaged region and damaged its tourist-dependent economy. It has also exacerbated simmering ethnic tensions and conflicts over land.
In Nairobi's Mathare slum, residents hid indoors and crouched on the floors of shops as young men ran past. Police fired tear gas down dirt alleyways and gunshots into the air.
One Red Cross medic said his ambulance picked up a 24-year-old with deep machete cuts to his head and neck and a fractured arm.
As he spoke, another man staggered down the road, bleeding profusely from the head and mouth.
``Help me,'' he begged before collapsing.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from