Riots and post-election violence in Kenya may have killed up to 1,000 people, the opposition claimed today as it halted protests and President Mwai Kibaki invited his main rival to talks.
The east African country has been hit by a wave of demonstrations and tribal clashes since Mr Kibaki's disputed win in December 27th polls over opposition challenger Raila Odinga.
The government today raised its estimated death toll to nearly 500 and 255,000 displaced, but Mr Odinga says that figure should be "closer to a thousand".
Aid workers say the toll could go higher after one of Kenya's worst crises since independence from Britain in 1963.
Mr Kibaki's office said he had invited Mr Odinga and several religious leaders to talks on Friday on how to stop the violence, consolidate peace and forge "national reconciliation".
Mr Odinga's aides could not immediately be reached for comment. As international mediation efforts were stepped up, the head of the African Union, John Kufuor, was due to arrive in Nairobi tomorrow, and Mr Odinga said the Ghanaian president could begin chairing talks as early as Wednesday.
World powers have been horrified by the sudden outbreak of bloodshed in a country once seen as one of the continent's most stable democracies and promising economies.
In her first public comments since arriving on Friday, Washington's top diplomat for Africa said the crisis had not shaken US confidence in Kenya as a strong regional hub.
"It has actually further deepened our sense that Kenya is a strong regional partner," US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer told a news conference. She said Kenyans had come together to "haul themselves back from the brink", but had been let down by their leaders.
"They have been cheated by their leadership and their institutions. ... The political leaders have to stop the violence ... and they have to reform the institutions."
Mr Odinga had looked on course to win the December 27th ballot until Mr Kibaki, 76, was handed a narrow victory. Both sides alleged widespread rigging and international observers say the poll fell short of democratic standards.
Mr Odinga, who turned 63 today, is under international pressure to avoid provoking more violence, but he also wants to maintain momentum to oust Mr Kibaki.
Mr Kibaki's government accuses Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) of "grandstanding" and stoking further unrest.
Adding to the chaos, the main Kenyan lawyers' organisation, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), accused electoral officials of "dishonesty and ineptitude", called Mr Kibaki's swearing-in "null and void", and urged a fresh vote.
"Kibaki lacks legitimacy to govern and this is the cause of the problems that we are facing as a country," it said.
Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said the statement was inaccurate, misleading and confusing to the public.
"LSK should not be partisan and should exercise responsibility by refraining from making claims based on events where they were not present, have no idea of what occurred and at what time," Mr Mutua said.