BRUSSELS (AFP) — UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Thursday he was "extremely concerned" about the situation in Georgia as aid workers struggled to help the growing number of people displaced by the conflict with Russia.
A truce between the two sides had failed to open up the conflict zone to much-needed emergency supplies, EU and aid officials said, as United Nations staff in the Georgian city of Gori were held up by gunmen.
"The Secretary General is extremely concerned by the impact of the recent conflict on the civilian population in Georgia, which has suffered loss of life and injury, significant damage to civilian property and infrastructure, as well as sizeable displacement," Ban's office said in a statement.
He reiterated "the critical importance of safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian actors to all conflict-affected areas."
Latest estimates by the Georgian and Russian governments put the number of displaced people in the region at nearly 115,000, up from a previous estimate of 100,000.
Aid agencies meanwhile complained about the lack of access to the areas worst hit by the fighting over the Russian-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia.
"The authorities in principle are ready to give us access but we are being told that there are ongoing security concerns," said Geneva-based spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Anna Nelson.
"We are ready to go in. We do not expect access today as it is already nightfall there. But we are ready to go in from the north and the south," she added.
In Brussels, European Commission spokesman John Clancy echoed her comments.
"The cessation of hostilities announced by Moscow has not yet reflected particularly into any improvement in terms of access for humanitarian aid workers," Clancy said.
Emergency medical aid was "urgently needed", particularly in the camps hastily set up for displaced people within Georgia, mostly in and around the capital Tbilisi, he added.
Two UN workers experienced at first hand just how unstable the conflict zone could be.
Robert Watkins, UN resident coordinator for Georgia, told AFP two UN-marked cars were taken by "paramilitary" gunmen halted security officials doing a safety assessment in Gori.
Meanwhile, the UN refugee organisation the UNHCR flew its second humanitarian flight to the Georgian capital carrying tents, jerry cans, blankets and telecommunications equipment.
Turkey also stepped up humanitarian assistance sending a further 10 trucks of relief supplies and Italy was due to send two planeloads of materials "as rapidly as possible, probably during the weekend."
The US State Department said a second C-17 US military cargo plane carrying humanitarian aid had arrived in Tbilisi Thursday.
British charity Oxfam said it was starting to distribute aid to refugees fleeing fighting in Georgia, where it already has a dozen staff on the ground.
Oxfam said its initial 50,000-pound (94,000-dollar, 63,000-euro) aid effort would be ramped up according to its assessment of conditions on the ground in the ex-Soviet republic and Russia.
The ICRC reported that it had flown in almost 100 tonnes of supplies to the region and more than 40 extra staff, both to Georgia and the Russia Federation, to help civilians affected by the conflict.
Norway announced it had released 3.75 million euros to help victims of the conflict in both Gori, Georgia, and North Ossetia in Russian territory, to where thousands of civilians had fled from South Ossetia.
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