Deadly clashes in south Kyrgyzstan fade out - Otunbayeva
16:05 15/06/2010
MOSCOW, June 15 (RIA Novosti) - Deadly clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan are gradually fading out, but the northern regions are still threatened by further unrest, the country's interim leader said on Tuesday.
Interethnic violence erupted in the south of the Central Asian former Soviet republic last week, with at least 170 people killed in five days of clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbek residents.
Hundreds were injured in the unrest, which began in the southern city of Osh on Thursday and then spread to the wider region. Tens of thousands of ethnic Uzbeks, who make up about half the population in the area, have fled to neighboring Uzbekistan.
"The situation has actually been taken under control, but still there are places where slight tensions exist," said Rosa Otunbayeva, who has lead the country since President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted amid violent protests in early April.
She said the main problem was getting supplies of food and other essentials to those affected by the violence.
"We were near to the humanitarian catastrophe. Even the bread was delivered by air. Though we have quickly mobilized," Otunbayeva said.
The deputy head of the interim government, Almazbek Atambayev, said the authorities were ready for the new outbursts of violence in the North.
"That tragedy that occurred in the south was well-planned and well-financed. We should expect such acts of provocation in the Chuy region [in the north of the republic] and Bishkek".
INTERNATIONAL AID
The United States and Russia, which both have military airbases near the capital, Bishkek, are airlifting in humanitarian aid, as is the United Nations.
Russia will send on Wednesday three planeloads of humanitarian aid to Kyrgyzstan, a Russian emergencies ministry official said on Tuesday.
"Three Il-76 cargo planes will deliver in Bishkek a total of 129 tons of humanitarian cargo. Each plane is to take 43 tons, including 5,000 blankets, 10 tons of sugar, 17.9 tons of canned meat and 4.99 tons of canned fish," Nikolai Pakhomov said.
The World Health Organization has already sent humanitarian help to Osh. Several planes arrived at Osh's airport with tons of medical supplies. Trucks carried supplies into the city with an armed escort. In Bishkek, volunteer paramilitaries prepared to depart for Osh as part of a peacekeeping effort.
THOUSANDS FLEE
Uzbekistan said on Tuesday that about 83,000 ethnic Uzbeks had fled across the border from Kyrgyzstan.
The southern Kyrgyz cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad are both less than 10 kilometers from the border and have large Uzbek populations. Both cities have seen cars set on fire and stores, markets and residential buildings smashed, looted and burned.
Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Aripov said on Monday that "the entry of the refugees from Kyrgyzstan is limited because of the high numbers that have already come to the republic."
Aripov said only the injured, women and children were being allowed to cross the border. Neighboring Uzbekistan hastily set up camps to handle the flood of hungry, frightened refugees.
DAY OF MOURNING
Kyrgyzstan's interim government on Tuesday declared Wednesday a day of mourning for the victims of ethnic violence in the south of the country.
"It is a great loss for us. We will pay tribute to all who died. Today I will sign a decree over the mourning day," interim Kyrgyz leader Rosa Otunbayeva was quoted as saying by 24.kg.
There are conflicting reports on who is responsible for the clashes, with members of the Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities blaming each other and the government accusing Bakiyev or his supporters of fomenting the unrest. The former president denies any involvement.
Leading Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Tuesday some young Kyrgyz residents of Osh said Uzbeks had raped Kyrgyz women in a dormitory.
"Uzbeks prepared for war for three years. They turned the 'southern capital' [Osh] into a Wahhabi den and brought in mercenaries... They have arsenals of weapons in their houses and mosques: bags of ammunition, machine guns, sniper rifles," a young Kyrgyz, Sultan, said.
Uzbeks say they were attacked by Kyrgyz. "They attacked us immediately after the morning prayer," an Uzbek woman said.
"They were armed and we were not," said Zeba Nishanbayeva, who recently buried her brother. "Their snipers only shoot Uzbeks."
The third version - promoted first of all by the government in Bishkek - is that the massacre was started by people from Bakiyev's entourage. The deposed president hails from the south of the country, where the interim government has struggled to impose its authority.
"Bakiyev paid killers who shot us and Kyrgyz. He either took revenge in this way or wanted to show that there can be no order in the country without him," Nasyr, an Uzbek, said.
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