
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 21 (UPI) -- South African President Thabo Mbeki approved troop deployments to help stop attacks on migrants that have claimed two dozen lives, his office said Wednesday.
Red Cross officials in South Africa said about 13,000 people have been displaced since the violence began last week, CNN reported.
Many of the victims are Zimbabweans and others from neighboring countries who have fled to South Africa for political or economic reasons.
The violence began in Johannesburg's Alexandra Township, police said, and has spread. Reports indicate mobs shoot, beat and burned some victims.
Some said the attacks stem from long-held feelings that the number of immigrants coming into the country results in shortages of jobs and essential needs, CNN reported.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu and Mbeki have both appealed for an end to the violence.
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