Speaking in Tashkent, US official said his colleague Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Mike Posner and he had the opportunity to tour several refugee camps and speak with refugees who fled the violence in southern Kyrgyzstan.

“I was saddened to hear the tragic accounts of many refugees who experienced terrible violence in recent days. I was told that 90% of the refugees are women and children, since many of the men stayed behind in Kyrgyzstan to protect their property,” Blake added.

US diplomat said: “I want to commend the Government of Uzbekistan for acting so quickly and so constructively to receive more than 110,000 refugees affected by this humanitarian crisis and provide them with food, water, shelter and medical assistance”.

“I was very pleased to hear that the Government of Uzbekistan is cooperating very closely with the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, with UNICEF, with the International Committee for the Red Cross, and international non-governmental organizations. With many refugees still near the Kyrgyz border, I hope that the Government of Uzbekistan can keep the border open to allow these refugees access to facilities here that can provide them with food, water, shelter and medical attention. While I know that it has not been easy, Uzbekistan’s leadership and initiative have saved many lives and mitigated the suffering of thousands of vulnerable people”, he said.

“The United States is very concerned about reports of ongoing violence in southern Kyrgyzstan. We are saddened by the loss of life and condemn the violence that is taking place. We urge the provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan to take immediate steps to stop the violence in southern Kyrgyzstan. It will also be important for the provisional government to launch an investigation into the cause of the violence in southern Kyrgyzstan, and ensure accountability for the perpetrators.

“Given the large number of ethnic Uzbek refugees who are here, whose stories deserve to be heard, a Kyrgyz investigation should be complemented by an international investigation by a credible international body. Such investigations would also help all of us understand how such violence can be prevented in the future so that secure conditions can be established for the safe and voluntary return of the refugees from Uzbekistan”, the US official said.

The United States is moving quickly to provide humanitarian assistance in cooperation with the UN and other organizations to help meet the needs of Kyrgyz refugees in Uzbekistan and in Kyrgyzstan. The United States plans to provide initial contributions of up to US$5 million in response to appeals from the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent as well as the Office of High Commissioner for Refugees to cover activities in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

“We will provide an initial contribution of US$2.8 million to the UNHCR to assist the refugees in Uzbekistan. We have also released an initial US$50,000 from our worldwide disaster fund to assess the situation and meet gaps in the current international assistance package. We hope that this assistance in combination with that provided by Government of Uzbekistan, the United Nations and others will help ease the plight of those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy”, the US diplomat said.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake and Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Mike Posner paid a two-day visit to Uzbekistan.

During the visit, they met representatives of the government, civil society and international organizations to discuss situation in Kyrgyzstan and assistance to refugees in Uzbekistan.