In Kyrgyzstan, the death toll from several days of fighting between Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks could be far higher than previously thought. The interim Kyrgyz government says the toll could be “several times higher” than the official toll of nearly 180 people. The International Committee of the Red Cross says at least “several hundred people” have died. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says 200,000 people have been internally displaced, while 75,000 have fled to neighboring Uzbekistan. UNHCR spokesperson Rupert Colville says the ethnic violence has targeted children.

Rupert Colville: “Indiscriminate killings, including of children, and rapes appear to have been taking place on the basis of ethnicity. We believe this is an extremely dangerous situation, given the ethnic patchwork in this part of Krygyzstan. It’s a highly complex ethnic mix there with some eighty different groups just in the Osh region. It’s been known for many years that this region is a potential tinderbox, and for that reason it’s essential that the authorities act firmly to halt the fighting.”

The interim government has accused the former president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, of provoking the violence in order to destabilize the country ahead of a planned constitutional referendum later this month. Bakiyev was a US ally until his removal in an uprising last April.