SYDNEY, May 28: The violence in East Timor has forced up to 50,000 people to flee their homes, the Australian Red Cross (ARC) said on Sunday.

The displaced people were living rough and needed food, tents and other relief items, the ARC said in a statement announcing an appeal for funds.

“Up to 50,000 people are estimated to have left their homes because of the violence and are living in makeshift camps around the country,” the statement said.

“By launching this appeal we can help with the immediate needs of those who have fled their homes,” said Robert Tickner, the ARC’s chief executive officer.

Some 2,250 troops from Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia have been deployed to East Timor to help quell factional fighting within the military and police after a request from the Dili government last week.

But mobs armed with swords and axes rampaged through the capital at the weekend, setting houses ablaze and forcing terrified residents to flee their homes.—AFP