United Nations Aid Reaches Civilians Displaced During Kyrgyz Crisis

Kyrgyzstan refugees return - Courtesy of UN News

New York, NY (June 23) – United Nations officials have announced that despite ongoing security concerns, thousands of civilians displaced during recent ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan are beginning to receive vital aid.

United Nations spokesperson Elizabeth Byrs of the Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a statement in Geneva that the security situation is not under control in southern Kyrgyzstan to include the city of Osh.

Government troops have attempted to clear barricades on the streets of Osh and are being met with heavy resistance. Spokesperson Byrs stated, “That the tense situation is hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid for internally displaced persons (IDPs), which number about 300,000 in Kyrgyzstan.”

All toll approximately 100,000 civilians have fled the area seeking safe haven in neighboring Uzbekistan. Aid agencies have assisting the Uzbekistan government in handing out relief items.

Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters, “The Uzbek authorities have themselves been handing out UNHCR relief items, and our own emergency team has been on the ground in the Andijan area since Friday visiting sites and doing assessments.”

The security situation is also preventing members from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from carrying out essential goals of their mission. In the past, UNICEF has provided measles, and rubella vaccinations in the region.

Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe had this to say about the ongoing crisis, “WHO and health partners stress the urgency of providing the necessary health care and support to the communities affected by violence.”

The director added, “People affected by the violence must be able to receive health services – in particular those who have been wounded in gunfire, those who have suffered from sexual and gender-based violence, those suffering from chronic diseases, and children who need vaccination against polio.”

 source: UNited Nations Press Release

Posted by worldnews on June 23, 2010. Filed under Asia Regional News,Human Interest,International Politics,Kyrgyzstan,terrorism,United Nations Headlines,WorldNewsVine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.