Opposition supporters display their machetes and other weapons during ethnic fighting in the Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya, yesterday. Gunmen killed an opposition lawmaker in Nairobi yesterday, a slaying that triggered a new flare-up of the ethnic fighting that has gripped Kenya since last month's disputed presidential election. - AP

GENEVA (AP):

The U.N. adviser on genocide warned Kenya's political leaders that they could be held accountable for the violence sweeping the East African country.

Francis Deng, the U.N. secretary-general's special adviser for the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities, said violence in Kenya must stop immediately, as he announced he was sending a staff member to examine the postelection turmoil in the country, according to a statement released Monday from U.N. headquarters in New York.

"Noting that political and com-munity leaders may be held accountable for violations of international law committed at their instigation, Mr. Deng urged them to meet their responsibility to protect the civilian population and prevent the violence," the statement said.

The killing of an opposition lawmaker in suburban Nairobi yesterday sparked new violence, prompting a mob of youths to riot in the streets of the capital, where they set houses ablaze and beheaded a doctor with machetes. The ethnic clashes and protests, triggered by the December 27 election, have left more than 800 people dead.

U.N. aid agencies in Geneva said yesterday that they were increasingly concerned about violence against women and children.