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GUEST: Gerald Lemelle, Executive Director of Africa Action

After three days of talks between Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga, nationwide protests have been called off. The meeting was apparently brokered by US envoy Jendayi Frazer, and attended by Nobel Peace Prize winner and South African leader, Desmond Tutu. At least 600 people have died in heavy violence linked to a vote on December 27th which yielded a narrow win for Kibaki under suspicious circumstances. The vote count has been heavily contested by Odinga. In the wake of the violence President Kibaki proposed a unity government with Odinga which the opposition rejected. Kibaki is now also calling on the new parliament, which is dominated by Odinga’s supporters, to meet on January 15. Aid groups warned of a humanitarian crisis after the displacement of more than 255,000 people, particularly in the west of the country and in the capital’s slums. The post-election violence has shattered the image of Kenya as a beacon of stability, freedom and democracy in Africa. The East African nation is considered one of the US’ key counter-terrorism partners in the continent.