Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Thousands of Kenyans rallied Monday for an anti-government demonstration amid high political tensions.The
government accuses local political groups of carrying out a series of
coastal attacks, but Somalia's Shebab say they are to blame. Here is a
summary of key actors.
GOVERNMENT: President
Uhuru Kenyatta, 52, elected in 2013, heads the Jubilee Coalition party.
Kenyatta is viewed as a key leader of the country's largest single
ethnic group the Kikuyu, making up over a fifth of the population. His
deputy William Ruto comes from the Kalenjin people, who make up around
12 percent of the country. Both face crime against humanity trials at
the International Criminal Court (ICC) for post-election violence in
2007-2008.
OPPOSITION: The main political
opposition is led by Raila Odinga, who heads the Coalition for Reform
and Democracy (CORD) party. Odinga, 69, a former prime minister, comes
from the Luo people of western Kenya, who make up some 13 percent of the
population. He lost to Kenyatta in 2013 elections. CORD denies any role
in recent attacks.
SOMALIA'S SHEBAB: The
Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents have claimed responsibility for a string of
attacks in revenge for Kenya's military role in Somalia with the African
Union force. Shebab gunmen also carried out a four-day siege of
Nairobi's Westgate mall in 2013.
KENYAN
ISLAMISTS: Allied to or supporters of the Shebab, groups include Al
Hijra, previously known as the Muslim Youth Centre (MYC). Tensions are
high after a series of assassinations of hardline preachers based in
mosques in the port city of Mombasa. Around 12 percent of Kenyans are
Muslim.
MOMBASA REPUBLICAN COUNCIL (MRC):
Outlawed coastal separatists who complain of economic marginalisation,
with both Muslim and Christian supporters. Members argue they are a
political party, insisting on their separate cultural identity from the
rest of Kenya, but police accuse them of carrying out attacks.
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