United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday commended both parties in Kenya for reaching a historic power sharing deal. The much-anticipated talks were mediated by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. Annan and “the panel of eminent African personalities” were congratulated by Ban for their efforts. In a statement by his spokesperson, Ban said the agreement on Thursday “marks a breakthrough toward resolving the crisis and gives hope to the people of Kenya for a return to democratic stability in their country.” Annan had suspended talks on Tuesday following both parties' inability to reach a compromise but quickly reignited them to reach a political solution. Among the accomplishments, a new post for prime minister was instituted into the Kenyan government's constitution, which is a first for the country. Mwai Kibaki will remain Kenyan president and opposition leader Raila Odinga will assume the role of prime minister. Through a statement by his spokesperson, the U.N. Chief, warned on Thursday, that “even as today's agreements are celebrated, urgent attention is also still required to lessen tensions in the communities and to overcome the serious humanitarian situation in the country.” Violence erupted in Kenya following President Mwai Kibaki's re-election, which opposition leader Raila Odinga says was rigged. Post-election violence that began over the disputed presidential vote counts has resulted in about 1,000 deaths, over 300,000 displaced, 270,000 Kenyans living in about 200 camps in six provinces in Kenya, and 500,000 overall in need of emergency aid, according to a Monday statement to the Security Council by John Holmes, the top U.N. humanitarian official. The Security Council on 6 February 2008 passed a presidential statement on Kenya, expressing concern about the humanitarian situation and calling for the protection of civilians and its personnel.
