New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) Days after over 100 Indian students were evacuated from violence-torn Kyrgyzstan, India Thursday announced humanitarian aid to those hit by the ethnic violence that left over 400,000 people homeless.
‘In response to the appeal by the Kyrgyz government, the government of India has decided to provide urgent humanitarian aid to the people of Kyrgyzstan, in their hour of need,’ the external affairs ministry said here.
The assistance comprises food items, medicines and tents and will be despatched in two Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft over the next few days.
The cargo aircraft with humanitarian assistance load will take off for Kyrgyzstan Friday morning, an air force official said. The supplies will be delivered to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan at Osh through the Indian embassy.
The humanitarian aspect of the crisis hit home when over 100 Indian students were feared trapped at the height of the ethnic violence in mid-June in the southern Kyrgyz cities of Osh and Jalal-abad. The Indian mission chartered a special plane to airlift them to safety.
The Indian assistance comes as the former Soviet republic continues to struggle with the fallout from savage ethnic clashes that started last month. Clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, who account for about 15 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s population, broke out in the southern city of Osh June 11.
The United Nations has appealed for $71 million in aid for Kyrgyzstan. The US has committed to provide immediate assistance of over $6.5 million.
