41 die as southern Kyrgyzstan erupts in bloody ethnic strife
Source: Agencies |
June 12, 2010, Saturday
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MOBS of armed men torched Uzbek neighborhoods in southern Kyrgyzstan yesterday in ethnic clashes that officials said left at least 41 people dead and over 600 wounded.
A state of emergency was declared in the Central Asian nation that hosts US and Russian military bases.
The rioting in Osh, the country's second-largest city, is the heaviest violence since former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was toppled in a bloody uprising in April and fled the country.
The intensity of the conflict, which pits ethnic Kyrgyz against minority Uzbeks, appears to have taken authorities by surprise and has thrown the fragile interim government's prospects for survival into doubt.
Quelling the violence will prove a decisive test of the government's ability to control the country, hold a June 27 vote on a new constitution and go ahead with new parliamentary elections scheduled for October.
Dozens of buildings across Osh were ablaze yesterday after witnesses reported sustained gunfire beginning late on Thursday. Gangs of young men armed with metal bars and stones attacked shops and set cars alight.
The government declared a state of emergency in Osh and dispatched armored vehicles, troops and helicopters to pacify the situation. Soldiers were posted at routes into the city and at major intersections, but fighting had not abated by evening and authorities imposed a curfew from 8pm to 6am until June 20.
Ikram Abdumalitov, who lives in Osh, said around 1,000 young and armed Kyrgyz men were marching toward Uzbek neighborhoods eastern Osh.
"The Uzbeks are in turn chopping down trees and blocking the road to their neighborhood," he said.
Many of the injured were being treated for stabbing and gunshot wounds, Health Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Bailinova said. Dozens were in serious condition.
Smaller-scale violence also broke out yesterday evening in the capital, Bishkek, where a mob of Kyrgyz men attacked and robbed Uzbeks at a bazaar.
In an emotional televised address, interim President Roza Otunbayeva called for a return to calm. "I would like to appeal in particular to the women of Kyrgyzstan. Dear sisters, find the right words for your sons, husbands and brothers. In the current situation, it is unacceptable to indulge in feelings of revenge and anger," she said.
Bakiyev is believed to be in exile in Belarus, but interim authorities accuse his supporters of fomenting unrest to undermine their control.
A state of emergency was declared in the Central Asian nation that hosts US and Russian military bases.
The rioting in Osh, the country's second-largest city, is the heaviest violence since former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was toppled in a bloody uprising in April and fled the country.
The intensity of the conflict, which pits ethnic Kyrgyz against minority Uzbeks, appears to have taken authorities by surprise and has thrown the fragile interim government's prospects for survival into doubt.
Quelling the violence will prove a decisive test of the government's ability to control the country, hold a June 27 vote on a new constitution and go ahead with new parliamentary elections scheduled for October.
Dozens of buildings across Osh were ablaze yesterday after witnesses reported sustained gunfire beginning late on Thursday. Gangs of young men armed with metal bars and stones attacked shops and set cars alight.
The government declared a state of emergency in Osh and dispatched armored vehicles, troops and helicopters to pacify the situation. Soldiers were posted at routes into the city and at major intersections, but fighting had not abated by evening and authorities imposed a curfew from 8pm to 6am until June 20.
Ikram Abdumalitov, who lives in Osh, said around 1,000 young and armed Kyrgyz men were marching toward Uzbek neighborhoods eastern Osh.
"The Uzbeks are in turn chopping down trees and blocking the road to their neighborhood," he said.
Many of the injured were being treated for stabbing and gunshot wounds, Health Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Bailinova said. Dozens were in serious condition.
Smaller-scale violence also broke out yesterday evening in the capital, Bishkek, where a mob of Kyrgyz men attacked and robbed Uzbeks at a bazaar.
In an emotional televised address, interim President Roza Otunbayeva called for a return to calm. "I would like to appeal in particular to the women of Kyrgyzstan. Dear sisters, find the right words for your sons, husbands and brothers. In the current situation, it is unacceptable to indulge in feelings of revenge and anger," she said.
Bakiyev is believed to be in exile in Belarus, but interim authorities accuse his supporters of fomenting unrest to undermine their control.
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