UN issues warning on shelter as refugees return in large numbers to Kyrgyzstan

Fewer than 400 of the estimated 100,000 refugees who fled when violence erupted in Kyrgyzstan nearly three weeks ago remain in Uzbekistan, the United Nations reported today, warning that that most of the returnees and the people who are internally displaced have no proper shelter after their homes were destroyed during the unrest.

The 395 refugees still in Uzbekistan have been unable to go back because they need medical treatment, Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told reporters in Geneva, quoting figures provided by the Uzbek Government. Almost all of the refugees remaining in Uzbekistan are women and children.

Ms. Byrs also quoted the Kyrgyz health ministry as saying that the official death toll from the civil unrest that broke out in the south of the country on 10 June now stands at 294. The Interim Government has, however, indicated that the number may be much higher.

The health ministry also estimates that 2,239 people sought medical assistance, 1,048 were hospitalized, and 1,191 received outpatient treatment. The Kyrgyz authorities have also reported that 1,386 houses were burned down in the cities of Osh and Jalalabad and surrounding areas.

A flash appeal for the Kyrgyzstan emergency that requested $73 million has so far received just $11.5 million, according to OCHA.

Meanwhile, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that the security situation in southern Kyrgyzstan is currently relatively calm. Humanitarian access to different parts of Osh, Jalalabad and villages in the south was gradually improving. UNHCR teams that visited several neighbourhoods in Osh saw widespread destruction of homes with many people sleeping in the open.

UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a media briefing in Geneva that water, electricity and health services were lacking and that people reported having lost their identity documents when their homes were torched or looted.

The agency estimates that 375,000 people remain displaced, including the refugees who returned from Uzbekistan.

The third and fourth UNHCR humanitarian flights arrived in Kyrgyzstan on Sunday and yesterday, bringing an additional 80 tons of relief aid. A UNHCR team in Osh was working with local authorities and partners to set up a more organized system for distributing relief supplies.

In Uzbekistan, UNHCR vehicles are part of a UN humanitarian convoy carrying the remaining aid stocks to Osh. Dozens of trucks carrying the supplies are expected to cross into Kyrgyzstan tomorrow.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres announced that he will visit Kyrgyzstan starting tomorrow to meet Kyrgyz officials, including President Roza Otunbayeva. In the south, he will assess conditions for internally displaced persons (IDPs), including their humanitarian needs and safety concerns, in a bid to ensure that UNHCR is well placed to assist them to rebuild their lives safely in their home areas.

According to OCHA, the Kyrgyz Government yesterday reinstated a curfew in several cities, including Osh, which will run until 10 August. The curfew was temporarily lifted at the weekend to allow residents to vote in the referendum on a new constitution.