Русская версияAid is arriving in Georgia from all over the world in response to
the ongoing war in the Caucuses.
The German government has
announced that it will spend 1 million euros ($1.5 million) on
humanitarian aid. France on Monday sent 30 tons of humanitarian
supplies to the Georgian capital Tbilisi by plane for victims of
the conflict.
Europeans trapped in Tbilisi as a result of the unrest were also
allowed to use the 250-seat plane to fly out to Paris, a memorandum
from the French Foreign Ministry said. The relief flight contained,
among other things, tents, blankets, beds and containers. The
supplies are to be distributed to those affected by the French aid
agency Premiere Urgence.
Additionally the World Food Program (WFP) told the Associated Press
it had started distributing food to help thousands of people
displaced by the conflict.
Thousands displaced
The UN agency said over the weekend it handed out 10-day food
rations to some 2,000 displaced people living in Tbilisi. The WFP,
based in Rome, is planning to continue the distributions on Monday,
mainly for people outside the capital, although these individuals
were harder to reach because of Russian airstrikes.
The number of people in need of help is rising by the hour, WFP
Georgia country director Lola Castro said in a statement.
Castro said so far, 2,750 displaced people had been registered in
Tbilisi alone. But she added that many more people were living with
relatives or in unofficial shelters.
The UN's High Commission on Refugees said its first plane with
supplies for Georgia would take off on Monday with a second flight
scheduled for Wednesday. The two flights would carry supplies for a
total of 30,000 people.
The agency's High Commissioner Antonio Guterres also approved the
release of $2 million from the UNHCR's emergency reserve to cover
possible immediate needs in the region.
He also made a call for humanitarian access and safe passage for
uprooted civilians.
"We have mobilized our financial resources and our humanitarian
resources. Airlifts are starting with relief items to be able to
help people. But we need to be able to get to them," he said.
Civilian casualties on the rise
The Red Cross has announced that it was getting increasing reports
of civilian casualties from the conflict and beyond, and that it
was preparing to fly in 15 tons of medical supplies.
The humanitarian situation remains very serious, Dominique Liengme,
the International Committee of the Red Cross' (ICRC) head of
delegation in Georgia, told the AFP news agency.
An ICRC assessment team that managed to visit the Georgian town of
Gori has confirmed that many people have fled.
"We are also hearing reports of widespread displacement throughout
the region," Liengme added.
Gaining access to South Ossetia was a priority for the ICRC, which
has been unable to move around or distribute assistance due to the
intensity of the fighting. They are continuing to call for
unimpeded and safe access to all areas affected by the conflict,
said Liengme.
A chartered flight will leave from Geneva early this week with
medicines, medical supplies, material for a water treatment plant
and distribution tanks that could hold safe drinking water for
around 20,000 people, said the ICRC.
(Deutsche Welle)
more info >>
<< Back