New York: United Nations has said that the political crisis created after the elections in Kenya should be immediately resolved to stop further escalation of violence in that country.

"If there is no quick resolution to the political crisis, the risk of a fresh surge in violence, more displacement and further polarisation of society will be very high," John Holmes UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs said.

"The humanitarian consequences of this could dwarf anything we have seen so far," he said, noting that some 1,000 people have already lost their lives and more than 300,000 driven from their homes since elections in which President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner over opposition leader Raila Od inga.

Holmes while briefing the Security Council on his visit to the East African country from February 8 to 11,said he made it clear to the Kenyan parties that the full weight of the UN is behind the mediation process, led by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, that was attempting to reconcile the differences over the election results.

To avoid future violent explosions, however, it is also crucial to address decades-long grievances over land, poverty and wide economic inequalities in a context of strong population growth and limited availability of land, he said.

In addition, he added, political manipulation of land and tribal issues would have to be prevented through constitutional and electoral reform, and that there must be accountability for those responsible for the current violence, human rights abuses and failures to protect civilians.

Source : PTI