Unrest in Kenya threatens to explode into a civil war

The ethnic violence that has been sweeping the East African nation of Kenya since a disputed election last week gave President Mwai Kibaki a second term threatens the political stability of one of the most democratic countries in Africa.

Stable democracies serve as a barrier to the spread of Islamic terrorism, which is why the United States and others must assist Kenya in quickly ending the violence that has claimed more than 300 lives.

The danger of a prolonged battle between President Kibaki’s Kikuyu tribe and the Luo tribe of his firebrand political opponent, Raila Odinga, is evident. The level of tribal hatred was demonstrated Tuesday when a mob set fire to a church where Kikuyu families had sought refuge from the violence. More than 35 people were killed, including many children.

Battles are being waged in shantytowns around the capital, Nairobi, and in villages. There were reports of people being slaughtered, with their heads being hacked off.

Given the violent reaction to the election, the international community, especially the United States and European Union countries, cannot sit idly by while one of the most politically peaceful African nations implodes.

Foreign diplomats in Nairobi urged Kibaki to negotiate a solution to the election dispute, but Odinga, who is benefitting politically from the unrest, said this week he would not talk to his rival until he agreed to announce publicly that he did not win a second term.

Independent commission

That is unlikely to happen, but what could help put out the flames of ethnic hatred is an independent commission conducting a top-to-bottom review of the election.

All allegations would have to be investigated, including vote-rigging and voter intimidation.

Today, in Nairobi, Odinga was expected to lead a march of thousands, proving his influence over people who have felt disenfranchised at the hands of the majority Kikuyu tribe.

However, the government vowed to block the rally, citing national security.

McClatchy Newspapers reported that on Wednesday hundreds of soldiers formed a menacing ring around the downtown park where the demonstrators were expected to assemble.

There is a larger issue to be considered as the killings continue: While Kenya has been one of the most politically stable and has experienced impressive economic growth, the al-Qaida terror bombing of the United States embassy in Nairobi in August 1998 is a stark reminder of the reach of global terrorism.

If Kenya crumbles into a state of anarchy, it will become a target for terrorist organizations looking for footholds in Africa.

As President Bush has repeatedly stated, global terrorism poses the greatest threat to America.

A civil war would not only turn the country into one vast killing field — comparisons to Rwanda in 1994 in which more than 1 million people were killed are already being made — but could affect the neighboring counties of Uganda and Tanzania.

There is too much at stake for the United Nations and the European Union not to respond with the greatest of urgently.