BUJUMBURA - The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) has condemned the on-going violence in Kenya following a disputed a presidential election. The violence erupted immediately after the country’s election commission announced that President Mwai Kibaki was the winner of the December 27 poll.

This triggered anger from supporters of main opposition candidate Raila Odinga who claims to have been robbed of victory.

In a statement, the Bujumbura - based ICGLR says the current situation in Kenya is akin to ethnic cleansing and genocide.

‘Some of these killings are perpetuated in the most bizarre and cold-blooded manner…threats of genocide are returning to the region!’ reads the statement, signed by the ICGLR Executive Secretary, Ambassador Liberata Mulamula.

She urged regional leaders to utilise the available conflict resolution mechanism to restrain the violence in Kenya, which has claimed lives of over 300 innocent civilians. "A year ago, in Nairobi, the people of the Great Lakes region through their leaders had committed themselves to promote democracy and good governance…Kenya is a signatory to this Pact and is thus bound by its provisions,” the statement, issued on Friday, said.

Mulamula called on Mwai’s government to assure Kenyans of state protection saying that internally displaced people need urgent assistance to avoid humanitarian catastrophe.
Currently, regional countries have been affected economically especially the hinterland that is served by Kenyan port.

The ICGLR brings together eleven regional countries, which are Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
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