By Andrew Cawthorne
NAIROBI (Reuters) - World leaders had to accept some blamefor the violence that rocked Kenya after a disputed Decemberelection, killing more than 1,000 people, the internationalHuman Rights Watch group said on Monday.
"Foreign governments should remember that decades ofturning a blind eye to corruption, impunity and mismanagementby Kenya's governments has contributed to the recent crisis,"the U.S.-based group said in a report.
The world was shocked at the bloodshed in Kenya, previouslyseen as a haven of stability on a volatile continent, and manyleaders helped pressure President Mwai Kibaki and oppositionleader Raila Odinga into a February 28 power-sharing pact.
Human Rights Watch accused police of causing "hundreds" ofdeaths by using excessive force during the two-month crisis inthe East African country, especially in opposition strongholdslike the town of Kisumu.
Fleeing children had been shot, the group said in its88-page report.
Lethal force was used quickly in opposition areas butrestraint was shown towards pro-government supporters, it said.
The crisis was Kenya's worst since independence fromBritain in 1963 and damaged its reputation as a prosperoustrade and tourism hub. Kenya is East Africa's biggest economy.
Human Rights Watch blamed successive post-independencegovernments for failing to address land and poverty issues atthe root of the violence.
"Much of the ethnic-based violence was organised by localleaders, politicians and businessmen from all sides, accordingto eyewitnesses," it said.
(Editing by Ralph Gowling)
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