The Red Cross on Thursday called for "urgent humanitarian action" to help up to 100,000 people caught up in anti-foreigner violence that has swept South Africa in recent weeks.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said there was an urgent need for "sustained humanitarian action to bring vital emergency assistance to the victims."
Tens of thousands of mainly Zimbabwean and Mozambican immigrants have been forced out of their homes since the onset of xenophobic attacks which have so far left 56 people dead.
"The situation is getting worse, not better. We must make sure that the needs of people forced out of their homes by these attacks, often with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, are met now, and for the foreseeable future," said Francoise Le Goff, head of the IFRC's Southern Africa office in Johannesburg.
"It is cold and raining, and families, often with young children, are sleeping on the ground, under simple tents, putting their health at risk," she warned.
The South African Red Cross has distributed food, hygiene articles and clothing since the attacks began on May 11.
South Africa's government acknowledged an urgent need Thursday to accelerate efforts to tackle poverty and unemployment as it assessed the damage from a wave of deadly xenophobic attacks.
Source:Xinhua
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