Thu, 31 Jan 2008


Addis Ababa - Influential business tycoon Cyril Ramaphosa will go to Kenya on Friday to join efforts to end a bloody crisis that has killed 850 people, President Thabo Mbeki said,

"He is going to Nairobi tomorrow at the request of Kofi Annan," Mbeki told Reuters. Former UN chief Annan is leading efforts to mediate between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Ramaphosa was chief negotiator for the ANC in talks that produced a peaceful end to apartheid in 1994. South Africa says Kenya's turmoil could be disastrous for the continent if it does not end soon.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also told Kibaki at the African Union summit that he too would be going to help with mediation efforts in the country. Ban said that the violence was "threatening to escalate to catastrophic levels".


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