'African Union Mediated Peace' - The Case of Kenya 2008

Abstract

Following the disputed Presidential elections in Kenya on 27th December 2007, violence and anarchy erupted in five of Kenyan seven Provinces creating civil anarchy, mass evictions of hundreds of thousands of people, wanton killings by both armed militia groupings and state agents.

With the Escalating humanitarian situation in Kenya, the International Community initially the African Union (AU) and subsequently the United Nations (UN) led by, America, United Kingdom (UK), Canada and Norway intervened and supported a mediation process led by the AU which resulted in the signing of a power sharing Agreement,1 by the leaders of the two major political parties, Party of National Union (PNU) Led by President Mwai Kibaki and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) led by the then leader of official opposition Raila Odinga.

This article seeks to descriptively examine and interrogate the mediation process of January 2008 to the end of February 2008, the resultant settlement, and where appropriate analyse the framework agreements and various implementation agreements and the resultant tension between human rights and conflict resolution and human rights.

That the mediation process made possible by the adoption of multiplicity of strategies that included diplomatic mediation tact and international pressure on relevant actors created hence creating an opportunity for human rights concerns hitherto ignored or abandoned by political elites to be introduced on the agenda as part of the solution to the conflict.