Thursday, June 17, 2010

BBC News - Kyrgyz crisis is 'immense', says Red Cross

BBC News - Kyrgyz crisis is 'immense', says Red Cross

Days of communal violence in Kyrgyzstan have sparked an "immense crisis" in the area, the Red Cross (ICRC) says.

Some aid has begun to arrive in the region, but the ICRC says refugees are running short of basic supplies such as food, water and shelter.

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes because of the violence between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.

Troops are now patrolling the riot-hit streets of the southern city of Osh, amid an uneasy calm.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the lull in fighting had allowed its workers to reach refugees in the areas around Osh.

"We've seen for ourselves and also heard about pockets of displaced people ranging from several hundred to several thousand in number," said the ICRC's Severine Chappaz.

The organisation said insecurity and fear, combined with shortages of basic necessities like food, water, shelter and medicine, were putting a tremendous strain on communities, hospitals and families.

International efforts

Some 75,000 ethnic Uzbeks are thought to have fled across the border into Uzbekistan, and as many as 200,000 more have fled their homes.

Many are being housed in temporary shelters, but the fate of many others is still unknown.

Eyewitnesses say Kyrgyz mobs began attacking people in Uzbek areas of Osh and another southern city, Jalalabad, in the early hours of Friday last week.

Kyrgyzstan's interim leaders have been struggling to impose their authority since coming to power after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was overthrown in April.

The government believes allies of Mr Bakiyev, who now lives in exile in Belarus, want to derail a national referendum on constitutional reform scheduled for 27 June.

Ethnic Uzbeks have largely supported the interim government, but Mr Bakiyev remains popular with many Kyrgyz in the south.

A Kyrgyz government appeal for Russia to send in peacekeeping troops was rejected by Moscow.

Washington is sending its top Central Asia diplomat, Robert Blake, for meetings with officials in Bishkek on Friday and Saturday.

The clashes are the worst ethnic violence to hit southern Kyrgyzstan since 1990, when deadly clashes were suppressed by the Soviet authorities.

Days of communal violence in Kyrgyzstan have sparked an "immense crisis" in the area, the Red Cross (ICRC) says.

Some aid has begun to arrive in the region, but the ICRC says refugees are running short of basic supplies such as food, water and shelter.

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes because of the violence between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.

Troops are now patrolling the riot-hit streets of the southern city of Osh, amid an uneasy calm.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the lull in fighting had allowed its workers to reach refugees in the areas around Osh.

"We've seen for ourselves and also heard about pockets of displaced people ranging from several hundred to several thousand in number," said the ICRC's Severine Chappaz.

The organisation said insecurity and fear, combined with shortages of basic necessities like food, water, shelter and medicine, were putting a tremendous strain on communities, hospitals and families.

International efforts

Some 75,000 ethnic Uzbeks are thought to have fled across the border into Uzbekistan, and as many as 200,000 more have fled their homes.

Many are being housed in temporary shelters, but the fate of many others is still unknown.

Eyewitnesses say Kyrgyz mobs began attacking people in Uzbek areas of Osh and another southern city, Jalalabad, in the early hours of Friday last week.

Kyrgyzstan's interim leaders have been struggling to impose their authority since coming to power after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was overthrown in April.

The government believes allies of Mr Bakiyev, who now lives in exile in Belarus, want to derail a national referendum on constitutional reform scheduled for 27 June.

Ethnic Uzbeks have largely supported the interim government, but Mr Bakiyev remains popular with many Kyrgyz in the south.

A Kyrgyz government appeal for Russia to send in peacekeeping troops was rejected by Moscow.

Washington is sending its top Central Asia diplomat, Robert Blake, for meetings with officials in Bishkek on Friday and Saturday.

The clashes are the worst ethnic violence to hit southern Kyrgyzstan since 1990, when deadly clashes were suppressed by the Soviet authorities.


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