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Groce Caught in Middle of Violence

KXMC CBS Bismarck North   •  Feb. 19, 2008. 09:34 AM EST

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan this week in Nairobi, Kenya. The leaders sat down with government and opposition leader in the nation where post-election violence has killed more than one thousand and left at least 300,000 homeless. And the violence caused a North Dakotan now living in Nairobi to evacuate his family back to the US. In part two of his report, Jim Olson talks with Jeremy Groce about being caught in the middle of a developing conflict. (Jim Olson, KX News) The US Secretary of State is meeting with top officials about resolving a deadly dispute in neighboring Kenya, where suspect elections sparked violence over the past two months. It's a situation that has caught a North Dakotan in its grasp. (Jeremy Groce, Sudan Radio Service) "Especially when you've got small kids, it's a little unnerving." (Jim Olson, KX News) Jeremy Groce, his wife, and their two children left their home in Nairobi, Kenya in January when they realized their home was a block from the headquarters of the opposition - a place that too often erupted into violence (Jeremy Groce, Sudan Radio Service) "There was one day I was coming back from the office and sort of just stayed in front of this large demonstration that was being broken up, and people were fleeing all over and police were chasing after them and I just managed to get to the house before it reached my door." (Jim Olson, KX News) Groce has lived in Nairobi for more than five years, establishing a non-profit operation called Sudan Radio Service. It broadcasts news to Sudan - where the government has had a clamp on information for decades. The service was set up in neighboring Kenya because that country was so stable and calm. Until now. (Jeremy Groce, Sudan Radio Service) "You keep the kids in the house, you don't want them out in the yard with gunshots and watercannon. It's insane." (Jim Olson, KX News) He says he hopes to keep Sudan Radio Service on the air and broadcasting from Kenya (Jeremy Groce, Sudan Radio Service) "If Kenya becomes unsafe to work in maybe we try to move to Sudan, maybe we go to Uganda. I don't know." (Jim Olson, KX News) As for the cause of the current violence in Kenya, Groce fears that long-simmering resentment among various tribes, now being expressed, may lead to fighting that lasts a generation or more. (Jeremy Groce, Sudan Radio Service) "When suddenly people are reminded of all their differences and they start shooting and hurting each other, if you're a member of a group that's been targeted, you're probably never going to trust your neighbor again." (Jim Olson, KX News) He's hoping peace returns more quickly, so he can be reunited with his daughters and wife as soon as possible. Jim Olson, KX News. You can check out the Sudan Radio Service online at www.sudanradio.org

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