Kyrgyzstan set for referendum

Interim president says referendum to go ahead despite ethnic tensions.

Kyrgyzstan pkg

Security forces in Kyrgyzstan have raided ethnic Uzbek villages in the southern city of Osh on Monday, looking for weapons and to arrest those allegedly involved in recent ethnic clashes that left hundreds dead. 

The violence had also lead to the displacement of more than 400,000 people – mostly Uzbeks.

Despite the rise in ethnic tensions that have divided the country, Roza Otenbayeva, the interim president, has said a referendum on a new constitution, which is just a week away, will go ahead.

Clayton Swisher reports from the southern Kyrgyz city of Jalal-abad. 

Source: Al Jazeera