News / Asia

UN: Food Insecurity in Kyrgyzstan to Grow Worse

TEXT SIZE - +

The United Nations says more than one-quarter of the households in Kyrgyzstan do not have enough food, and that the problem is expected to get worse in the coming months.

That figure represents about 1.5 million people.

The World Food Program said Tuesday it is preparing to bolster its operations in the country, where almost 350,000 others may soon be in need of food.

The U.N. agency said the threat stems from rising foods prices, a poor harvest, the onset of winter and the inter-ethnic violence that ravaged southern Kyrgyzstan in June.

The World Food Program said it conducted an assessment which found that food insecurity was especially high in the cities of Osh and Jalalabad, where the ethnic clashes broke out. The agency warned the situation remains volatile.

Reuters quotes an agriculture ministry official as saying one big problem is that the border with Kazakhstan has been closed since the violence, affecting the ability to trade food and farming supplies.

Meanwhile, the International Crisis Group said in a report that without what it called "prompt, genuine and exhaustive measures," Kyrgyzstan risks another round of violence.

The group urged the international community to press the Kyrgyz government to address the root cause of the violence, including ongoing ethnic tensions.

The fighting took place between ethnic majority Kyrgyz and minority Uzbeks. More than 350 people were killed.

Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.

You May Like

Video Syria's Civil War Fuels Violence in Iraq

Analysts say al-Qaida-linked militants are flowing back and forth from both countries More

Video Star Trek Influence Lives Long and Prospers

As new movie thrills, many are once again discussing the iconic franchise's influence on society, science and technology More

OECD: Developing Green Cities Key to Sustainable Future

OECD suggests strategies to mitigate rapid growth, industrialization in urban centers, which produce about two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions More

This forum has been closed.
Comments
     
There are no comments in this forum. Be first and add one

Featured Videos

Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Video

Video Volunteers Help Revive LA's Concrete River

The Los Angeles River is a concrete drainage channel through much of its 80-kilometer length. It channels waste-water from storm drains and has become a receptacle for much of the city's trash. But as Mike O'Sullivan reports, the river is slowly being restored with the help of volunteers, who take part in an annual clean-up.