The humanitarian crisis in the central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan appears to be worsening as reports surface that the Kyrgyz military has joined the violence against ethnic Uzbeks.
The United Nations says hundreds of thousands of displaced Uzbeks are on the move, fleeing from violent gangs who have been shooting, raping and burning their way through the region's cities and villages.
Human Rights Watch says the Kyrgyz military has been shooting at Uzbek civilians and has handed out weapons to Kyrgyz gangs intent on purging the Uzbeks from the country's south.
The organisation's field officer in Kyrgyzstan, Andrea Berg, says the ethnic unrest has been whipped up in an attempt to stall a referendum being held in just over a week, which if successful, would weaken the presidential office.
By: Brant
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