19/06/2010 11:21
UN launches $71 million emergency aid appeal for Kyrgyzstan
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is appealing for $71 million to help hundreds of thousands of people affected by ethnic clashes in Kyrgyzstan, where some 400,000 people have been displaced by inter-ethnic fighting.
"There are shortages of food, water and electricity in the affected areas, due to looting, lack of supply, and restrictions on movement," said Mr Ban. "Hospitals and other institutions are running low on medical supplies."
Ban Ki-moon said he has been in touch with Kyrgyzstan’s interim leader Roza Otunbayeva and Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov, as well as with the relevant regional organizations and key countries, in an effort to explore options for restoring order and coordinating the humanitarian response.