Kyrgyzstan makes case at UN for additional aid after violent clashes

Kyrgyzstan’s needs further international assistance to recover from the effects of the inter-ethnic violence in June, the country’s Foreign Minister told the General Assembly today, saying there were people still in need of housing, medical aid and other social services.

“At present the Government has focused its basic efforts to post-conflict reconstruction of the country’s social and economic infrastructure, and first of all, in the southern regions,” Ruslan Kazakbayev told the ongoing high-level debate of the General Assembly.

“Therefore, timely and practical implementation of commitments announced at the donor conference on Kyrgyzstan this July is extremely important,” he added.

The UN and its humanitarian partners have appealed for $96 million to enable them to assist, over a six-month period, some 300,000 people who were displaced by clashes, mainly in the southern cities of Osh and Jalalabad and surrounding, between ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks in June.

Mr. Kazakbayev expressed gratitude to the States, international agencies and the UN for responding to the humanitarian crisis brought on by the unrest, but pointed out that only 40 per cent of the amount sought in the appeal has so far been received.

“It is obviously not sufficient given the urgent need for further support of the population on the streets of the affected cities and settlements.

“There are people still without housing, wounded people without the necessary rehabilitation and medical aid, along with destroyed schools and other social services,” Mr. Kazakbayev said.