Kyrgyzstan has experienced continual political and ethnic violence in the last few months between Krygyz and Uzbeks, causing the most economic damage in the southern cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad. The violence caused 400,000 Uzbeks to flee the country. President Roza Otunbayeva said that poverty is the source of the ethnic tension.
On July 27th, the World Bank organized a donors' conference to aid the reconstruction of the southern cities. The United States pledged $48.6 million, while the total pledged by participating countries was $1.1 billion. The donations will go towards meeting immediate humanitarian needs, providing assistance to displaced and returning families, and to addressing the root causes of the conflict through community development and conflict mitigation programs in the southern regions. The U.S. funds will go specifically towards the construction of small scale infrastructure, assistance to improve government operations, addressing food shortages, projects to strengthen democratic processes and institutions, grants to NGO partners to support water and sanitation projects and IDP assistance, as well as funding for UNICEF and Committee for the Red Cross programs for shelter and resettlement assistance.
- Clara Hill
SOURCE: "Rebuilding Kyrgyzstan: U.S. Pledges $48.6 Million at International Donors' Conference" - U.S. State Department
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